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Global life expectancy has rebounded to 73.3 years, almost returning to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic level, even as noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and dementia account for a growing share of deaths worldwide.
The World Health Organization (WHO) disclosed this in its latest Global Health Estimates released on Friday, October 2, 2026.
The estimates track changes in global health across countries and regions from 2000 to 2023, covering life expectancy, major 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 only marginally below the level recorded before the pandemic. However, the recovery in the number of years people can expect to live in good health has been slower.
- “Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, close to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019. Healthy life expectancy has recovered more slowly, reaching 62.8 years in 2023, still 0.4 years below its 2019 level.”
Dr Alain Labrique, Director of WHO’s Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and AI, said:
- “Living longer is one of the great achievements of public health. The next challenge is to ensure that those additional years are lived in good health, while health systems are equipped to respond to the changing needs of populations.”
Despite the recovery in life expectancy, WHO data show that the global disease burden is shifting increasingly towards noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs accounted for 74% of deaths worldwide in 2023, up from 58% in 2000, while eight of the 10 leading causes of death globally were noncommunicable diseases.
Cardiovascular diseases remain the biggest contributor, with ischaemic heart disease alone responsible for about 9.5 million deaths and 210 million disability-adjusted life years in 2023, while dementia rose from the 19th leading cause of death globally in 2000 to fifth place in 2023 as deaths linked to the condition tripled.
Chronic diseases rise across Africa
The changing disease pattern is becoming increasingly evident even in low-income countries, including many African economies that have historically faced a heavier burden from infectious diseases. For the first time in 2023, communicable diseases accounted for less than half of deaths in low-income countries, indicating a gradual transition towards a greater burden from chronic illnesses.
WHO has previously warned that NCDs are on course to overtake communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional diseases as the leading 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 National Task Shifting and Task-sharing policy to strengthen NCD prevention and treatment at primary 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 primary healthcare level rather than depending mainly on higher-level facilities.
Nigeria expands NCD prevention measures
Governments and international health organisations have increasingly turned to preventive measures, including taxation of products associated with higher risks of chronic diseases, alongside improvements in screening and healthcare access.
- In July last year, WHO launched its “3 by 35” initiative, calling on countries to use health taxes to increase the real prices of tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks by at least 50% by 2035.
- In June 2026, Nigeria’s Senate approved an amendment that would replace the existing flat N10-per-litre excise duty on sugar-sweetened beverages with a percentage-based levy linked to retail prices, with the precise rate to be determined by the Minister of Finance.
It is estimated that about 8% of Nigerians were living with diabetes, while the Federal Government’s 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report estimated that hypertension affects about 35% to 40% of Nigerian adults.
