Global Life Expectancy Nearly Rebounds to Pre-Pandemic Levels, WHO Reports

Global life expectancy rose to 73.3 years in 2023, recovering to near the pre-pandemic level of 73.4 years recorded in 2019, according to the latest Global Health Estimates released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The report, which tracks trends in death and disability worldwide from 2000 to 2023, indicates that healthy life expectancy—the number of years lived in good health—reached 62.8 years in 2023. This metric remains 0.4 years below the levels observed in 2019. The WHO noted that its estimates draw from national vital registration data alongside figures from agency technical programmes and United Nations partners.

Dr. Alain Labrique, Director of WHO’s Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI, noted that while longer life expectancy reflects public health achievements, ensuring those additional years are lived in good health presents an ongoing challenge for health systems.

The data also outlined a continuing global epidemiological shift toward noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). In 2023, communicable diseases accounted for less than half of all deaths in low-income countries for the first time. Globally, NCDs were responsible for 74 per cent of deaths in 2023, an increase from 58 per cent in 2000, representing eight of the world's top 10 causes of death.

Cardiovascular diseases remained the leading cause of death and overall disease burden. Ischaemic heart disease alone resulted in an estimated 9.5 million deaths and the loss of 210 million years of healthy life in 2023. While progress against the disease was recorded globally, individual risk rose in the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia regions.

The report further highlighted increases in other chronic and mental health conditions. Dementia rose from the 19th leading cause of death globally in 2000 to the fifth in 2023, with associated deaths tripling over that timeframe. The risk of dying from diabetes also grew, particularly in South-East Asia.

Between 2019 and 2023, the global age-standardised rate of healthy life lost increased by approximately 20 per cent for depressive disorders and roughly 45 per cent for anxiety disorders. For drug use disorders, the Americas saw the highest increases in the risk of death and healthy life lost between 2000 and 2023, whereas the Western Pacific recorded notable declines.

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