Overview

• Life expectancy returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2023 at 76.3 years for women and 71.5 years for men, based on IHME’s Global Burden of Disease analysis across 204 countries.
• Covid-19 dropped from the leading cause of death in 2021 to 20th in 2023, with ischemic heart disease, stroke and diabetes topping global mortality.
• Nearly half of death and disability is attributable to 88 modifiable risks, led by high systolic blood pressure, particulate pollution, high fasting plasma glucose, smoking and high BMI.
• Deaths among adolescents and young adults have climbed in specific regions, with the largest increases among ages 20–39 in high-income North America driven by suicide, drug overdose and heavy alcohol use, and rises in Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa linked to infections and injuries.
• Large geographic gaps persist, with life expectancy around 83 years in high-income regions versus about 62 years in sub-Saharan Africa, and authors warn that recent cuts to international health aid could erode progress.