Berlin: A report by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) reveals that the global mortality rate has declined by 67 percent since 1950, in spite of population growth and aging. The study, which covered 204 countries and territories as well as 660 subnational locations between 1990 and 2023, was published in The Lancet medical journal and released on its website.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the findings were presented and unveiled at the ongoing World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany. The report highlights that global life expectancy has returned to pre-pandemic levels, increasing by more than 20 years since 1950 to 76.3 years for females and 71.5 years for males. However, the study underscored significant regional disparities, with life expectancy reaching as high as 83 years in high-income regions and as low as 62 years in sub-Saharan Africa.
While global health indicators have improved, the report warns of an emerging crisis of higher death rates among adolescents and young adults. The rise is attributed to suicide and substance use in North and Latin America and infectious diseases and unintentional injuries in sub-Saharan Africa. Between 2011 and 2023, the highest increase in deaths was recorded among individuals aged 20 to 39 in high-income North America, largely due to suicide, drug overdose, and excessive alcohol use.
The report also noted an increase in deaths among those aged 5 to 19 in Eastern Europe, high-income North America, and the Caribbean within the same period. While the global mean age at death has risen from 46.4 in 1990 to 62.9 years in 2023, geographic inequities remain significant. The highest mean age of death was recorded in the high-income super-region, with females reaching 80.5 years and males 74.4 years. In contrast, the lowest mean age of death was in sub-Saharan Africa, with females at 37.1 years and males at 34.8 years.
The report highlighted that the all-cause probability of dying before age 70 decreased across each GBD super-region and region from 2000 to 2023, with drug use disorders emerging as one of the leading causes. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, the probability increased for many non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and the mean age of death from NCDs was lower than expected.
New data and methods revealed higher mortality among girls and women aged 15-29 years in sub-Saharan Africa, which is 61 percent greater than previously reported. In Nigeria, fewer people are dying now than in 1990, indicating better health and longer lives for both men and women. The age-standardised mortality rate (ASMR) for both sexes dropped from 1,722.41 deaths per 100,000 people in 1990 to 1,085.19 in 2023, with males falling from 1,846.59 to 1,182.86, and females declining from 1,599.20 to 1,003.34.
The report noted significant progress in reducing infectious diseases and injuries and improving newborn health, though cuts to development assistance for health threaten these advances. It also revealed that more children aged 5 to 14 in sub-Saharan Africa died between 1950 and 2021 than earlier estimates suggested, primarily due to respiratory infections, tuberculosis, other diseases, and unintentional injuries.
The report stressed that many countries, particularly those with the fewest resources, need better access to prevention and treatment for non-communicable diseases. NCDs account for nearly two-thirds of the world’s total death and disability, led by ischemic heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It stated that half of the world’s disease burden was preventable and driven by 88 modifiable risks, with the top three being high blood pressure, air pollution, and smoking. The burden of mental disorders continues to surge globally, with anxiety and depression increasing death and disability by 63 percent and 26 percent, respectively.
NAN reports that the study was led by Dr. Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine, alongside its GBD Collaborator Network. The researchers collected and analyzed data and produced estimates for 375 diseases and injuries and 88 risk factors by age and sex from 1990 to 2023. The Lancet is a peer-reviewed medical journal founded in 1823 in the United Kingdom, covering global health, medicine, and public health policy.