Other Infectious Diseases
Global mortality data, country rankings, and trends for Other Infectious Diseases from 1990 to 2021.
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Other Infectious Diseases 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 other infectious diseases 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.
This residual infectious disease category captures conditions not classified under the specific cause headings for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria, hepatitis, meningitis, or enteric infections. It includes neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) such as leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, lymphatic filariasis, trypanosomiasis, and schistosomiasis; invasive fungal infections including cryptococcal meningitis and invasive aspergillosis; parasitic diseases; rabies; and emerging or re-emerging zoonotic infections. The WHO estimates that NTDs alone affect more than 1.6 billion people across 149 endemic countries, predominantly in tropical regions where poverty, inadequate sanitation, and proximity to animal reservoirs drive transmission. Invasive fungal infections are increasingly recognised as a major cause of mortality, killing an estimated 1.5 million people annually — largely among immunocompromised individuals, including people living with advanced HIV. The burden of this heterogeneous group falls disproportionately on low-income tropical countries where diagnostic capacity is limited, access to essential medicines is unreliable, and health surveillance systems may fail to capture the true scope of disease.
Mass drug administration (MDA) programmes are the cornerstone of NTD control, delivering preventive chemotherapy for lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminths, and trachoma at low cost per person treated. Rabies is entirely preventable through dog vaccination and timely post-exposure prophylaxis, yet continues to kill an estimated 59,000 people annually. Improved access to antifungal agents — particularly amphotericin B and fluconazole — and rapid diagnostic tools are critical for reducing fungal infection mortality. For emerging zoonotic infections, One Health surveillance at the human-animal-environment interface, combined with pandemic preparedness investments, is essential. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, vector control, and environmental management address root transmission pathways for many diseases in this category.