For the initial time in 2023, communicable diseases accounted for smaller than half of deaths in low-revenue countries, indicating a incremental transition towards a greater burden from chronic illnesses.
WHO has previously warned that NCDs are on direction to overtake communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional diseases as the prominent cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 if countries do not strengthen prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
- In November 2023, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare expanded its Nationwide Assignment Shifting and Activity-sharing policy to improve NCD prevention and treatment at central healthcare facilities.
The policy seeks to decentralise services for conditions such as diabetes and hypertension by expanding prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation at the central healthcare rank rather than depending chiefly on greater-extent facilities.
Nigeria expands NCD prevention measures
Governments and multinational health organisations have increasingly turned to preventive measures, including taxation of products affiliated using increased risks of chronic diseases, alongside improvements in screening and healthcare admission.
- In July continue year, WHO launched its “3 by 35” initiative, calling on countries to apply health taxes to increase the genuine prices of tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks by at least 50% by 2035.
- In June 2026, Nigeria’s Senate approved an amendment that would swap the reveal flat N10-per-litre excise duty on sugar-sweetened beverages alongside a percentage-based levy linked to retail prices, using the definite rate to be determined by the Minister of Support.
It is estimated that on 8% of Nigerians were living including diabetes, whereas the Federal Government’s 2025 Condition of Health of the Nation Describe estimated that hypertension affects regarding 35% to 40% of Nigerian adults.
NCDs accounted for 74% of deaths worldwide in 2023, up from 58% in 2000, whilst eight of the 10 key causes of death globally were noncommunicable diseases.
Cardiovascular diseases continue the biggest champion, using ischaemic heart disease alone responsible for regarding 9.5 million deaths and 210 million disability-adjusted life years in 2023, during the time that dementia rose from the 19th prominent cause of death globally in 2000 to fifth place in 2023 as deaths linked to the situation tripled.
Chronic diseases rise across Africa
The changing disease pattern is becoming increasingly plain even in low-earnings countries, including several African economies that have historically faced a heavier burden from infectious diseases. Yet, the recovery in the quantity of years humans can predict to live in solid health has been slower.
- “Universal life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, seal to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019.
World life expectancy has rebounded to 73.3 years, nearly returning to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic rank, even as noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and dementia account for a growing grant of deaths worldwide.
The World Health Group (WHO) disclosed this in its most recent Universal Health Estimates released on Friday, October 2, 2026.
The estimates monitor changes in international health across countries and regions from 2000 to 2023, covering life expectancy, significant causes of death and the burden of diseases and disabilities.
Life expectancy rebounds to 73.3 years
According to WHO, life expectancy in 2023 was simply marginally below the stage recorded in advance of the pandemic. The subsequent reject is to confirm that those added years are lived in useful health, during the time that health systems are prepared to respond to the changing needs of populations.
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Despite the recovery in life expectancy, WHO information demonstrate that the international disease burden is shifting increasingly towards noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Healthy life expectancy has recovered further slowly, reaching 62.8 years in 2023, still 0.4 years below its 2019 rank.”
Dr Alain Labrique, Administrator of WHO’s Department of Statistics, Digital Health, Analytics and AI, said:
- “Living longer is one of the excellent achievements of people health.
Source: Global life expectancy rebounds near pre-COVID-19 level at 73.3 years —WHO
