Chronic Kidney Disease
Global mortality data, country rankings, and trends for Chronic Kidney Disease from 1990 to 2021.
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Chronic Kidney Disease is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease. This page presents data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study, showing mortality trends, country rankings, and regional patterns. Understanding the epidemiology of chronic kidney disease helps inform public health interventions and resource allocation.
This data is sourced from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, processed via Our World in Data. Values represent each cause's share of total deaths (%) unless otherwise noted. Explore related mortality data using the links below.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 850 million people worldwide and is responsible for over 1.2 million deaths annually, with a rising trajectory. CKD is defined by reduced glomerular filtration rate or evidence of kidney damage persisting for three or more months. The principal causes are diabetic nephropathy, hypertensive nephrosclerosis, and glomerulonephritis. In tropical regions, CKD of unknown aetiology (CKDu) — potentially linked to agricultural chemical exposure, heat stress, and dehydration — is an emerging epidemic among young farming communities. End-stage kidney disease requires renal replacement therapy (dialysis or transplantation), which is unavailable or unaffordable for the majority of patients in low-income countries. Consequently, CKD mortality is most concentrated in settings with the least capacity to treat it. CKD is also a powerful amplifier of cardiovascular risk: patients with advanced CKD are far more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than to reach dialysis. Global awareness of CKD remains low, and most patients are diagnosed late.
Across 210 countries, chronic kidney disease accounts for an average of 3.6% of total deaths. Regional disparities are substantial: Latin America & Caribbean has the highest regional average at 6.0%, while Europe & Central Asia records the lowest at 2.3% — a 2.6-fold difference that underscores the geographic inequality in chronic kidney disease mortality burden.
CKD prevention centres on managing its upstream drivers. Tight blood pressure control — particularly with ACE inhibitors or ARBs — slows nephropathy progression in both diabetic and non-diabetic kidney disease. Glycaemic control in diabetics, SGLT2 inhibitors (which confer kidney-protective benefits), avoidance of nephrotoxic drugs, and reduction of NSAID overuse are evidence-based strategies. Population screening of high-risk groups (diabetics, hypertensives) using urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio can identify early CKD, when interventions are most effective. Access to dialysis in low-resource settings remains a critical equity challenge.