Noncommunicable disease (NCD) mortality decreased in most countries around the world from 2010 to 2019, according to a study published online Sept. 10 in The Lancet.

James E. Bennett, Ph.D., from Imperial College London, and colleagues quantified how NCD mortality changed from 2010 to 2019 using data on NCD mortality and underlying cause of death from 185 countries and territories.

The researchers found that the probability of dying from an NCD between birth and age 80 years decreased in 82% of the 185 countries for females and in 79% of the countries for males between 2010 and 2019; it increased for females and males in the remaining 18% and 21% of countries, respectively. The countries where NCD mortality declined for females and males accounted for 72% and 73% of the world female and male populations, respectively, in 2019. In all high-income Western countries, NCD mortality declined, with the largest decline seen for both sexes in Denmark and the smallest decline in the United States. In most countries, circulatory diseases were the greatest contributors to declines in NCD mortality from 2010 to 2019, while neuropsychiatric conditions and pancreatic and liver cancers contributed toward higher NCD mortality. For both sexes in most high-income Western countries, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in East and Southeast Asia, and for females in South Asia, the change from 2010 to 2019 saw a deterioration in direction or size compared with the preceding decade.

“Our results show that reducing NCD mortality is feasible in national populations, even in countries with low baseline mortality,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.