Understanding brain health around the worldConditions affecting the brain and nervous system cause more death and illness globally than cardiovascular disease, cancers, and all other conditions.

More than 0% of all health loss around the world is associated with brain conditions. In 2021, brain conditions caused more disability-adjusted life-years (0 million DALYs) than other widely-acknowledged health threats such as cancer (0 million DALYs) or cardiovascular disease (0 million DALYs). Those numbers will increase as populations continue to grow and age, challenging families, employers, and health systems to respond.

What is brain health?

The brain plays a role in everything we do: our thinking and feeling; our speaking and movement; our breathing, heart function, and our immune system. If our brain is affected by disease or injury, it can damage our lives and the lives of those around us.

Brain health encompasses mental health conditions, neurological disorders, and cerebrovascular diseases. Dementia, stroke, and depression are all conditions of the brain that rank among the top causes of death and disability globally.

Researchers have been working to understand these conditions for a long time, but for too long, they have been examined individually — not as a collection of disorders that can be traced back to the brain.

The prevalence of brain conditions continues to rise
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Depression is among the top causes of health loss worldwide. null million people are living with depression today, a null% increase since 1990.

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The number of people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias increased by null% between 1990 and 2021, largely due to population aging.

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Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing condition of the brain, affecting null to null million people, corresponding to an increase of null% between 1990 and 2021.

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The number of strokes globally increased by null% from 1990 to 2021.

How do we improve brain health around the world? The first step is grasping the scope of the problem. Data on the burden of brain health are critical to informing evidence-based planning and resource allocation. Explore global trends to better understand the toll of brain disorders and learn more about the conditions that make up brain health.

Dive into country-specific trends

Brain conditions impact people of every age and in every country, and have profound effects on our health and well-being. Population trends play a role, as well as country-level preventive measures and health spending.

  • People over the age of 25 in China have the highest global risk of suffering a stroke in their lifetime.
  • Headache disorders, anxiety disorders, depression, and stroke are among the top 10 causes of death and disability in Germany.
  • In Japan, Alzheimer's disease ranks as the top cause of death. The total number of deaths due to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias has increased by 0% since 1990.
  • The United States has the highest global rates of disability from mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders.
the United States
Explore what is driving changes in brain health outcomes in the United States.
Japan
Learn how the population structure is changing in Japan.
China
Explore what health spending will look like in China.
Germany
Learn which age groups experience the largest burden of brain health disorders in Germany.

Explore the factsheet to view brain health trends in countries around the world.

In addition to lives and health lost, brain conditions have an outsize impact on our economic wellfare, too.
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