The global health picture is changing, with noncommunicable diseases accounting for a growing share of mortality while life expectancy has largely recovered from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest WHO Global Health Estimates, covering trends from 2000 through 2023, show that the epidemiological transition is now increasingly evident across income groups, including lower-income settings. Global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, nearly returning to the 73.4 years recorded in 2019. Healthy life expectancy, however, recovered more slowly and stood at 62.8 years, 0.4 years below the 2019 level.

At the same time, noncommunicable diseases accounted for 74% of all deaths globally in 2023, compared with 58% in 2000. Eight of the 10 leading causes of death were NCDs. Ischemic heart disease remains the leading global killer Ischemic heart disease retained the top…