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Global health estimates: Leading causes of DALYs

Disease burden, 2000–2019

The burden of disease is calculated using the disability-adjusted life year (DALY). One DALY represents the loss of the equivalent of one year of full health. DALYs for a disease or health condition are the sum of years of life lost due to premature mortality (YLLs) and years of healthy life lost due to disability (YLDs) due to prevalent cases of the disease or health condition in a population.

 

Summary findings

  • DALYs due to communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and diarrhoeal diseases have dropped by 50% since 2000.
  • DALYs from diabetes increased by more than 80% between 2000 and 2019.
  • DALYs from Alzheimer’s disease have more than doubled between 2000 and 2019. 

 

 

Download the data


About the download files


The latest global, regional and country-level estimates of cause-specific disability-adjusted life year (DALYs), years of life lost (YLL) and years lost due to disability (YLD) for the year 2000, 2010, 2015 and 2019 are available for download below.

A summary of data sources and methods is available below. Due to changes in data and some methods, the 2000–2019 estimates are not comparable to previously-released WHO estimates.

Recommended citation: Global Health Estimates 2020: Disease burden by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000-2019. Geneva, World Health Organization; 2020.

 

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