Overview

• A new WHO report, Saving lives, spending less, finds that 82% of countries cut premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases between 2010 and 2019, yet the pace has slowed and some nations saw reversals.
• Noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death and more than one billion people live with mental health conditions, with nearly three-quarters of related deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
• Scaling WHO’s ‘Best Buys’—including tobacco and alcohol taxes, protections from harmful marketing, hypertension management, and cervical screening—would cost about US$3 per person annually.
• WHO estimates full implementation by 2030 could save 12 million lives, prevent 28 million heart attacks and strokes, add 150 million healthy life years, and generate over US$1 trillion in economic benefits.
• Denmark recorded the largest mortality improvements, with declines also reported in China, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia, and Brazil, while rising pancreatic and liver cancers and neurological conditions offset gains in some countries.