The Global Burden of Disease 2023 (GBD 2023) report, released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) during the World Health Summit 2025 in Berlin on Sunday, reveals the world is healing from the Covid-19 pandemic yet facing deepening health inequalities.
While life expectancy has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels, new data show that non-communicable diseases (NCDs), mental health issues, and youth mortality are emerging as growing global threats.
The landmark study, published in The Lancet, draws from over 55,000 data sources and contributions from 16,500 researchers worldwide, assessing 204 countries and territories.
It shows that global health recovery is uneven, and progress in some areas is being offset by rising chronic diseases and risk factors like obesity and diabetes.
Life expectancy rebounds, but not equally
Life expectancy has returned to pre-pandemic levels in nearly two-thirds of countries.
However, mortality among young adults and adolescents is rising in parts of Eastern Europe and high-income North America.
New methods also revealed that female mortality in sub-Saharan Africa is 61% higher than previously estimated, highlighting long-standing gender and regional disparities in global health outcomes.
The report finds that the average age of death from heart disease still differs by up to 30 years between high- and low-income nations.
“Despite major progress, premature mortality remains a global injustice,” IHME researchers noted.
Non-communicable diseases dominate
NCDs, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and mental disorders, now account for two-thirds of all deaths and disabilities worldwide, up from less than half three decades ago.
Between 2013 and 2023, the world saw sharp increases in healthy years lost due to diabetes, depression, and anxiety disorders.
The study identifies five key modifiable risk factors: high blood pressure, air pollution, smoking, high blood sugar, and obesity — as the primary drivers of early death and poor health.
Addressing these risks, it says, could prevent up to half of all global health losses each year.
But while many risk factors are declining, the health burden from high blood sugar and obesity continues to grow, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Covid-19’s decline and new emerging threats
Covid-19, which killed around 18 million people globally between 2019 and 2023, has fallen from the world’s leading cause of death in 2021 to the 20th in 2023.
However, new and fast-rising health threats, including heat waves, diabetes, drug use disorders, and interpersonal violence, are increasingly straining public health systems.
Bangladesh: A growing NCD burden amid progress
Bangladesh’s public health profile mirrors many of the global findings from GBD 2023.
While the country has made major strides in combating infectious diseases, reducing maternal mortality, and improving life expectancy, the rise of non-communicable diseases now poses the most serious long-term challenge.
Recent national surveys show that cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and chronic respiratory illnesses are steadily increasing across both urban and rural populations.
According to IHME data, NCDs already account for over 67% of total deaths in Bangladesh, with air pollution, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar among the top risk factors.
Urbanization, poor dietary habits, and limited preventive care are fueling obesity and diabetes rates.
Health experts warn that without stronger policy measures, including taxes on tobacco and sugary foods, and better primary care for early detection, Bangladesh could face a “slow-moving epidemic” of chronic diseases.
At the same time, youth mental health remains a rising concern.
The GBD study identifies anxiety and depressive disorders as fast-growing causes of disability globally, a trend reflected in Bangladesh, where awareness and access to mental health services remain limited.
