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Global life expectancy almost back to 2019 level

New WHO estimates show recovery after the pandemic, but healthy years of life remain behind.

Global life expectancy was almost back to its pre-coronavirus pandemic level in 2023. According to new estimates by the World Health Organization, however, the number of years people live in good health remains lower.

On Friday, the WHO published new Global Health Estimates covering the period from 2000 to 2023. They show that average global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023. In 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, it was 73.4 years.

The figures therefore point to an almost complete recovery in global life expectancy. This is an estimate for the world’s population, compiled from national registers, data from WHO programmes and information from international partners, among other sources. The figures describe the situation up to and including 2023 and are therefore not a measurement of the state of health in 2026.

Recovery is less advanced when health, rather than lifespan alone, is taken into account. Healthy life expectancy stood at 62.8 years in 2023. According to the WHO, that is still 0.4 years lower than in 2019. On average, people therefore live almost as long as they did before the pandemic, but not all the additional years are spent in good health.

At the same time, the global burden of disease is changing. Non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and dementia, accounted for 74 per cent of all deaths in 2023. In 2000, that share was 58 per cent. In low-income countries, communicable diseases accounted for less than half of all deaths for the first time in 2023, the WHO said.

Dementia occupies a notable place in this development. The condition rose from nineteenth to fifth place in the global ranking of causes of death between 2000 and 2023. According to the WHO, the number of deaths from dementia tripled during that period. This is partly due to ageing populations and longer life expectancy, but the figures do not show that a single factor explains the increase.

Mental health conditions are also placing a heavier burden on health. Between 2019 and 2023, age-standardised loss of healthy life years due to depressive disorders increased by approximately 20 per cent, according to the WHO. For anxiety disorders, the increase was nearly 45 per cent. These are estimates of the loss of healthy life years caused by premature death and disabilities.

The new figures therefore present a mixed picture. The recovery in life expectancy is a measurable improvement after the pandemic, but the lower healthy life expectancy and growing burden of chronic conditions show that living longer does not automatically mean living a healthier life. The WHO presents the data as a basis for policy; they are not a prediction of an individual’s lifespan or health.

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