Progress stalls in fight against chronic diseases. These European countries have fared best

Deaths from chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and neurological conditions have fallen in most of the world – but progress has stalled in recent years, according to a new global analysis.

Researchers from the World Health Organization (WHO), Imperial College London, and elsewhere estimated the risk of dying from chronic diseases in 185 countries and territories.

They found that chronic disease mortality fell in about 80 per cent of countries worldwide in the 2010s – but that these improvements were much slower than a decade earlier, particularly in wealthy countries in Europe, North America, Asia, and the Pacific region.

Globally, the burden of chronic diseases “remains unacceptably high,” Leanne Riley, one of the study’s authors and head of the WHO’s surveillance, monitoring, and reporting unit, said in a statement.

Among wealthy developed countries, the worst performers included Germany, which saw some of the smallest declines in chronic disease deaths in the 2010s, scoring better than only the United States. While mortality fell overall in Germany, women in their 30s and those aged 65 to 75 saw small increases tied to lung cancer and dementia deaths.

Meanwhile, three Nordic countries – Denmark, Norway, and Sweden – saw some of the greatest improvements among wealthy Western countries, and there was little slowdown in the 2010s, the report found. That’s due largely to falling deaths among working-age adults.

The researchers dubbed Denmark the West’s “regional benchmark” for chronic disease deaths.

Countries in Central and Eastern Europe generally saw improvements in the 2010s, with Moldova experiencing the greatest decline in chronic disease risk. In Russia and some other countries in the region, alcohol control policies are thought to have played an important role, the researchers said.

The study was published in The Lancet medical journal ahead of a high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly later this month that will focus on chronic diseases.

Countries are expected to sign off on a political commitment to curb chronic diseases and boost mental health, though these agreements often do not translate to national policies or increased funding.

The researchers said their findings underscore the need for more investment to address chronic diseases and called for efforts to ensure solutions reach the people who are most affected by these health issues.

Majid Ezzati, one of the study’s authors and a professor at Imperial College London, cited tobacco and alcohol control policies, access to diabetes medication, cancer screenings, and heart attack treatments as key priorities.

“In many countries, effective healthcare programmes … may not be reaching the people who need them, and they are being left out of the health system,” Ezzati said.