Non-Communicable Diseases
Progress on early NCD death reduction is slowing.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory illness cause nearly three quarters of all deaths globally. Between 2000 and 2019, the global risk of dying from a major NCD before age 70 fell by 20%. However, the pace of decline slowed after 2015, putting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal target out of reach. COVID-19 further disrupted services and blurred data, with some regions seeing stagnation—or even reversal—of progress.
Insights
Political: NCDs remain under-prioritized in many health agendas, and service disruption during COVID-19 exposed this systemic fragility.
Economic: Slower NCD progress increases long-term healthcare costs and productivity loss, especially in aging and urbanizing populations.
Social: The burden remains highest in lower-resource settings and among those with limited access to continuous preventive care.
Technological: Advances in diagnostics and treatment exist, but gaps in access and integration into primary care persist across regions.
Legal: Many countries lack enforceable national policies to address key NCD risk factors (e.g. tobacco, sugar, pollution).
Environmental: Pollution, poor urban design, and climate change are contributing to rising NCD risks, especially respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.
Reflective Questions
How might we reaccelerate the global decline in premature NCD deaths?
What innovations in community-based care could extend NCD prevention and monitoring to underserved populations?
How can countries strengthen real-time cause-of-death data systems to better track NCD progress and disruptions?
Related Insight Cards
References:
World Health Organization, 2021. Global health estimates 2021. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available at: https://www.who.int/data/globalhealth-estimates
