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2h ago

Global Life Expectancy Rebounds as Study Warns of Rising Youth Deaths

IHME’s latest Global Burden of Disease analysis cites preventable risks, with illness increasingly driven by chronic conditions.

In 2023, life expectancy was 76.3 years for women and 71.5 years for men, according to new analyses.
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Calgary resident Heather Evans knows the grim toll of heart disease. She's experiencing heart failure at the age of 61, and has already lost five siblings. New research shows heart disease is the top global killer, alongside other chronic conditions that researchers say deserve renewed attention.

Overview

  • The Lancet-published 2023 estimates place life expectancy at 76.3 years for women and 71.5 for men, returning to pre-pandemic levels.
  • Covid-19 fell to the 20th leading cause of death in 2023 as heart disease and stroke again led global mortality.
  • Deaths among people aged 20 to 39 have risen in high-income North America, largely linked to suicide, drug overdoses and heavy alcohol use.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa shows elevated mortality in children and young adults due to infectious diseases, injuries, pregnancy and childbirth complications, road injuries and meningitis, with life expectancy far below high-income regions.
  • Roughly half of the global disease burden is preventable, as noncommunicable diseases now dominate and major risks include high blood pressure, high BMI, high blood sugar, smoking, particulate pollution and lead exposure.