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WHO Global Health Estimates 2023: Life Expectancy, NCDs and Dementia

ByLife Choice Note

Short answer: WHO’s latest Global Health Estimates put global life expectancy at 73.3 years in 2023, nearly back to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019. Healthy life expectancy recovered more slowly to 62.8 years, still 0.4 years below 2019, while noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 74% of deaths. These are population estimates covering 2000–2023—not a prediction of any individual’s lifespan and not a real-time snapshot of 2026.

What WHO released on October 2, 2026

The WHO Global Health Estimates (GHE) track death, disability, life expectancy and disease burden by country, region, age, sex and cause. The new update covers 2000 through 2023. WHO highlighted the main global and regional shifts in a departmental update published on October 2, 2026.

  • Release date: October 2, 2026
  • Data years: 2000–2023
  • Geographic scope: global, WHO regional and country-level populations
  • Population scope: estimates by age, sex and cause
  • This article covers: the global and regional figures emphasized in WHO’s release

Life expectancy almost recovered; healthy life expectancy did not

Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, just 0.1 year below its 2019 level. Healthy life expectancy—the years expected to be lived in full health—reached 62.8 years and remained 0.4 years below 2019.

That gap prevents an overly simple “back to normal” reading. Survival recovered faster than years lived in good health. WHO frames the next challenge as helping people live those additional years in better health while health systems adapt to a changing disease mix.

Why the 74% NCD share matters

NCDs—including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease—caused 74% of global deaths in 2023, up from 58% in 2000. Eight of the ten leading causes of death were NCDs.

The transition is not limited to wealthier countries. For the first time, communicable diseases accounted for less than half of deaths in low-income countries in 2023. That does not mean infections are no longer important. It means many health systems must now manage major infectious and chronic disease burdens at the same time.

Heart disease, dementia and mental health stand out

  • Ischaemic heart disease: about 9.5 million deaths and 210 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2023. WHO reports that individual-level risk increased in the Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions despite progress elsewhere since 2000.
  • Diabetes: the risk of death rose substantially after 2000, especially in South-East Asia.
  • Alzheimer disease and other dementias: dementia rose from the 19th leading cause of death in 2000 to the fifth in 2023; global dementia deaths tripled over that period.
  • Depressive and anxiety disorders: from 2019 to 2023, the global age-standardized DALY rate rose by about 20% for depressive disorders and nearly 45% for anxiety disorders. Together they accounted for an estimated 110 million healthy years lost in 2023.

A DALY combines years lost to early death with years lived with disability. It is a population burden measure, not a patient count or a forecast of how long one person will live with a condition.

What these estimates do—and do not—tell you

A rise reported for a WHO region does not prove that every country, age group or sex within that region moved in the same direction. The global 74% NCD share is also not the same as an individual’s probability of dying from an NCD. Country-specific interpretation requires the underlying GHE tables and national vital statistics.

The final observation year is 2023. Although WHO released the update in October 2026, the figures do not directly describe health conditions in 2024–2026.

Important data limitations

  • GHE values are estimates synthesized from national vital registration, WHO technical programmes, UN and inter-agency sources, the Global Burden of Disease study and other scientific research.
  • The completeness of death registration and disease surveillance differs by country, so modelling and adjustment can have a larger influence where source data are limited.
  • Standardization improves comparison across places and time, but population estimates cannot replace an individual clinical assessment or prognosis.
  • WHO’s release summarizes headline trends. Detailed country interpretation should use the downloadable data and methods documents.

Primary sources checked

Prepared by: Life Choice Note, an independent personal health-information explainer
Reviewed: October 4, 2026
Purpose: General explanation of public-health statistics. This article does not provide individual diagnosis, prognosis or treatment instructions.

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