According to WHO statistics in 2021, the top ten diseases caused 39 million deaths, accounting for 57% of the world’s 68 million deaths. So what are these deadliest diseases in the world?
Tl;dr
- In 2021, 57% of global deaths are due to 10 main diseases.
- Tuberculosis, kidney disease and diabetes are among the deadliest.
- Respiratory and cerebral diseases also have a strong impact.
- Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death.
A year of global health in numbers
In 2021, 68 million people lost their lives. Of this number, 39 million, or 57% of the total, died from the ten main diseases identified by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The deadliest diseases
Among these diseases, tuberculosis affected 10.6 million people in 2021, an increase of 4.5% compared to 2020. Despite its impact, this disease often remains treatable. For their part, the kidney diseases caused the death of nearly 1.5 million people in 2021. They went from the nineteenth to the ninth cause of death in the world over the last two decades. In the same way, the diabetes mellitus caused nearly 1.7 million victims in 2021.
Brain and respiratory diseases are on the rise
Moreover, “diseases affecting the brain and altering reason or memory”such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, are responsible for 1.8 million deaths in 2021. Cancers of the trachea, bronchus and lung, as well as lower respiratory tract infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) , also caused millions of victims.
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Ischemic heart disease tops the list
At the top of the list, ischemic heart diseaselinked to heart problems caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries, caused 13% of total deaths in 2021. This disease saw a significant increase in the number of deaths, reaching 9.1 million in 2021.
Editorial opinion
These alarming data underline the importance of constant global health monitoring. They also remind us of the importance of prevention and health care accessible to all. More than ever, health must be a global priority.
