Chronic illness death rates decline but pace of progress slows

Death rates from chronic diseases have fallen in four out of five countries around the world in the last decade - but progress has slowed, suggests an analysis led by researchers at Imperial College London and published in The Lancet.

In recent decades there have been many global and national political pledges and plans to improve prevention and treatment of chronic diseases (also called non-communicable diseases - NCDs), such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, neurological conditions and others. This includes the UN Sustainable Development Goal of reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one-third by 2030.

This study is believed to be the first global analysis to not only track changes in NCD mortality at the national level but also benchmark progress against historical performance and the regional best-performers.

The analysis suggests deaths from chronic diseases has fallen in nearly 80% of countries in the last decade. However almost two thirds of all countries – including nearly all high-income countries in Europe, north America, Australasia and the Pacific – experienced a slowdown in the rate of decline for mortality in 2010 to 2019 compared to the previous decade. The United States was one of the worst performers among high-income countries, experiencing the smallest decrease in risk over 2010-2019.

Ahead of the upcoming Fourth High-level Meeting of the UN General Assembly, authors say these trends show an urgent need for greater investment in tackling chronic diseases and ensuring approaches effectively reach people most in need.