Non-communicable diseases cause 74pc of global deaths: WHO

Non-communicable diseases like heart disease, cancer and diabetes are responsible for 74 percent of deaths globally and cracking down on risk factors could save millions of lives, the WHO said yesterday.

A report from the UN health agency shows that so-called NCDs, which are often preventable and caused by an unhealthy lifestyle or living conditions, kill 41 million people every year, including 17 million under the age of 70.

Heart disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory disease now outnumber infectious diseases as the top killers globally, said the report, titled "Invisible Numbers".

NCDs are not only the world's biggest killers, but they also have serious impacts on how people weather infectious diseases, as the Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated. People living with NCDs like obesity or diabetes were at greater risk of becoming seriously ill and dying from the virus, the report said.

A full 86 percent of the global premature NCD deaths happen in low- and lower middle-income countries, the study said.

A new NCD data portal launched by WHO shows the highest prevalence of deaths from cardiovascular disease -- the world's biggest killer -- are in countries like Afghanistan and Mongolia.

Tobacco use, unhealthy diet, harmful use of alcohol, physical inactivity and air pollution are seen as the main causes driving the soaring NCD numbers.

Tobacco use alone is responsible for more than eight million deaths each year. Another eight million deaths are attributable to unhealthy diets, meaning either too little, too much or too poor quality food, the report said.