The number of people becoming seriously ill or dying prematurely from conditions such as high blood pressure and obesity has risen 50 per cent since 2000, underlining the huge challenge diseases linked to ageing and lifestyle pose to overstretched health services.
The findings point to a big shift from an era in which infectious diseases and poor maternal and child health were among the biggest threats, to one where health systems must cope with “metabolism-related risk factors”, including high blood sugar and fat levels, that have led to a surge in “non-communicable” diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
The survey, published on Thursday by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, also found life expectancy was likely to increase by nearly five years between 2022 and 2050, to just over 78. An expected rise of 9.2 years in sub-Saharan Africa is helping to drive the convergence in longevity between richer and poorer regions.