Global life expectancy has almost returned to its pre-Covid-19 level, but the number of years people can expect to live in good health is recovering more slowly, according to the World Health Organization’s latest global health estimates.
The WHO said in its annual Global Health Estimates report that global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, just 0.1 years below the 73.4 years recorded in 2019, before the pandemic disrupted health systems and caused a sharp rise in mortality worldwide.
The Covid-19 pandemic pushed global life expectancy down to 71.5 years in 2021, marking a significant reversal of decades of progress.
While the overall recovery has been substantial, the WHO said healthy life expectancy has not returned to its pre-pandemic level.
Healthy life expectancy stood at 62.8 years in 2023, remaining 0.4 years below the 2019 figure.
“Living longer is one of the great achievements of public health,” said Alain Labrique, head of the WHO’s data department.
“The next challenge is to ensure that those additional years are lived in good health, while health systems adapt to respond to the changing needs of populations.”
Dementia and mental health concerns rise
The WHO report also highlighted changes in the global disease burden since the pandemic.
Deaths from dementia have tripled, while health loss associated with anxiety and depression has increased sharply since the Covid-19 crisis.
The figures underline the growing challenge of ensuring that gains in longevity are accompanied by improvements in quality of life, particularly as populations age and chronic conditions become increasingly important drivers of illness and death.
Between 2000 and 2023, the WHO Americas region recorded the largest increases in the risk of mortality and loss of healthy life, while the Western Pacific region recorded substantial declines.
Chronic diseases dominate global deaths
The WHO estimates that approximately 61 million people died worldwide in 2023, with the 10 leading causes of death accounting for about 33 million deaths.
Noncommunicable diseases dominated the list, accounting for eight of the 10 leading causes of death.
NCDs now represent 74% of all deaths globally, up from 58% in 2000, when the WHO’s Global Health Estimates series began.
Ischaemic heart disease remained the world’s leading cause of death, accounting for approximately 16% of global deaths.
It also recorded the largest increase in deaths between 2000 and 2023, rising from about 3 million to 9.5 million deaths.
Stroke was the second leading cause of death in 2023, accounting for approximately 11% of all deaths, while chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ranked third, responsible for about 6%.
Lower respiratory infections, meanwhile, remained the deadliest communicable disease and ranked fourth among the global causes of death.
Dementia becomes fifth leading cause
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia ranked fifth among the leading causes of death in 2023, claiming an estimated 2.1 million lives.
The growing burden of dementia is particularly significant as populations in many parts of the world age, placing additional demands on healthcare systems, families and long-term care services.
The WHO figures point to a global health landscape increasingly shaped by chronic diseases rather than infectious illnesses alone.
Covid-19 falls out of top 10
For the first time since the pandemic began, Covid-19 no longer ranked among the world’s 10 leading causes of death.
The disease was directly responsible for an estimated 5.3 million deaths in 2020, when it ranked third globally, and approximately 9.4 million deaths in 2021, when it became the leading cause of death.
By 2023, directly attributable Covid-19 deaths had fallen to about 900,000, placing the disease 14th among the leading causes of death worldwide.
The decline represents a dramatic change from the height of the pandemic, although the WHO's findings also highlight the lasting impact Covid-19 had on global mortality and population health.
HIV/AIDS deaths continue to decline
The report also recorded significant progress in reducing deaths from HIV and AIDS.
Deaths linked to HIV/AIDS have fallen by 62% since 2020, continuing a longer-term decline in the disease’s position among the world's leading causes of death.
HIV/AIDS, which ranked seventh among global causes of death in 2000, had fallen to 22nd place by 2023.
The WHO estimates point to a changing global health landscape: people are once again living almost as long as they did before the pandemic, but the slower recovery in healthy life expectancy and the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases remain major challenges for health systems worldwide.