Wed 07 October 2026:
Anxiety and depression drive sharp rise in years of healthy life lost
Global life expectancy has nearly returned to its pre-pandemic level, though the share of those years spent in good health remains lower, the World Health Organization reported Friday.
WHO’s Global Health Estimates show life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, close to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019. Healthy life expectancy recovered more slowly, reaching 62.8 years—still 0.4 years below the 2019 level.
“Living longer is one of the great achievements of public health,” said Alain Labrique, the director of WHO’s Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI. “The next challenge is to ensure that those additional years are lived in good health.”
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Mental health losses accelerate
From 2019 to 2023, the global age-standardized rate of healthy life lost rose about 20 percent for depressive disorders and nearly 45 percent for anxiety disorders. Together, depression and anxiety accounted for an estimated 110 million years of healthy life lost through premature death and disability in 2023.
Between 2000 and 2023, the Americas saw the largest increases in mortality risk and healthy-life loss from drug use disorders, while the Western Pacific recorded substantial declines.
Noncommunicable diseases accounted for 74 percent of deaths globally in 2023, up from 58 percent in 2000. Dementia became the fifth-leading cause of death in 2023, rising from 19th place in 2000, with deaths tripling over the period.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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