Every few years the World Health Organization does a giant headcount: what the world dies of and what makes us ill. The newest one came out on 2 October 2026 and covers 2000 to 2023.
The line everyone noticed: dementia is now the fifth most common cause of death on the planet. In 2000 it was 19th, and the number of deaths from it has tripled.
First, the good news
We're living longer again. Global life expectancy was 73.3 years in 2023, nearly back to where it was before COVID. “Living longer is one of the great achievements of public health,” says WHO's Dr Alain Labrique. The next job, he says, is making those extra years healthy ones.
Why dementia is climbing
Here's the twist. Fewer people now die young from infections, so more people reach the ages where dementia is common. More dementia deaths and longer lives go hand in hand. These are numbers for whole populations: they don't mean your own risk has tripled.
What we die of has changed
Illnesses you can't catch from someone else, like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and dementia, now cause 74% of deaths worldwide, up from 58% in 2000. Heart disease is still number one.
Our minds are under pressure too. Between 2019 and 2023, the years of healthy life lost to depression rose about 20%, and to anxiety almost 45%.
So what do I do with this?
Nothing dramatic. If you're worried about memory changes in yourself or someone you love, talk to a doctor, and sooner is better. Otherwise, the old advice still works: move, sleep, see people, look after your heart.
And the next time you forget where you put your keys, relax. That's not dementia. That's just keys being keys.