WHO: dementia deaths triple to 2.1 million in 2023

October 3, 2026 at 02:00 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The World Health Organization reported that global dementia deaths tripled since 2000, reaching 2.1 million in 2023. The rise made dementia the third leading cause of death in high-income countries. The data were published in the WHO's new global health estimates released Friday.

Key Facts

Dementia deaths rose from 2000 to 2.1 million in 2023, a threefold increase.
In high-income countries, dementia mortality grew almost fourfold, making it the third leading cause of death.
Women accounted for 66% of dementia deaths.
Ischaemic heart disease remained the top cause of death worldwide, killing 9.5 million people in 2023.
COVID-19 dropped out of the top ten causes of death for the first time since 2020.

Dementia and Mental Health Burden

The World Health Organization's new global health estimates show dementia deaths tripled from 2000 to 2.1 million in 2023. In high-income countries, dementia mortality increased almost fourfold, making the disease the third leading cause of death. Women accounted for 66% of dementia deaths. Years of healthy life lost to anxiety disorders rose nearly 45% from 2019 to 2023, while depressive disorders added about 20%. Together, anxiety and depressive disorders caused the loss of about 110 million years of healthy life in 2023.

Leading Causes of Death

Ischaemic heart disease remained the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming 9.5 million lives in 2023, or 16% of all deaths. Stroke ranked second with 6.8 million deaths, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at 3.6 million. Lower respiratory infections became the deadliest infectious disease again, causing 2.7 million deaths in 2023. COVID-19 fell out of the top ten causes of death for the first time since 2020. Noncommunicable diseases accounted for 74% of all deaths in 2023, up from 58% in 2000.

Life Expectancy and Regional Trends

Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, nearly returning to pre-pandemic levels. Healthy life expectancy recovered more slowly, reaching 62.8 years in 2023, 0.4 years below the 2019 level. In 2023, 61 million people died worldwide, with the ten leading causes accounting for 33 million deaths. Deaths from ischaemic heart disease and stroke declined only in high-income countries, by 18% and 26% respectively. Diabetes deaths more than doubled since 2000, reaching 2 million in 2023.