The burden of noncommunicable diseases

 

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of death and disease burden in the Region of the Americas. In 2019, NCDs account for 5.8 million deaths, equivalent to 81% of total deaths in the Region. It also accounts for the loss of 226 million disability-adjusted life years, 121 million years of life due to premature death, and 105 million years of life lived with disability or ill-health. 

This data visualization presents the level and trends of the disease burden of noncommunicable diseases by age, sex, and country from 2000 to 2019. The burden of noncommunicable diseases is measured using deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and years of life lost (YLLs) due to premature death.

Mortality

Regionwide in 2019, noncommunicable diseases accounted for:

  • 5.8 million deaths, 3 million in men, and 2.8 in women.
  • an estimated age-standardized death rate of 411.5 deaths per 100,000 population, 482.6 deaths per 100,000 for men, and 351.6 deaths per 100,000 for women.
  • a substantial variation across countries in the age-standardized death rates from a high in Haiti (838.7 deaths per 100,000 population) to a low in Canada (301.5 deaths per 100,000 population).

The countries with the highest age-standardized death rates are: 

  • Haiti 
  • Guyana 
  • Suriname 
  • Grenada 
  • Honduras 
  • Bolivia 
  • Nicaragua 

Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs: the summary measure of disease burden)

In the region in 2019, noncommunicable diseases account for: 

  • 226 million DALYs, 112 million years in men, and 114 years in women.
  • an estimated age-standardized DALY rate of 19,265 years per 100,000 population, 20,096 years per 100,000 for men, and 18,591 years per 100,000 for women.
  • a significant variation across countries in the age-standardized DALY rates from a high in Haiti (30,083 DALYs per 100,000 population) to a low in Canada (15,145 DALYs per 100,000 population).

The countries with the highest DALY rates are:

  • Haiti 
  • Guyana 
  • Suriname 
  • Grenada 
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 
  • Honduras 
  • Guatemala 

Years of life lost (YLLs) due to premature mortality

In the region in 2019, noncommunicable diseases account for:

  • 121 million years of life lost, equivalent to 618 years per 100,000 population.
  • The absolute number of YLL increased from 95 million years in 2000 to 121 million years in 2019.
  • The crude YLL rate slightly increased from 11,485 years per 100,000 population in 2000 to 11,938 years per 100,000 population in 2019.
  • The age-standardized YLL rates decreased from 11,834 YLLs per 100,000 population in  2000 to 9,816 YLLs per 100,000 population in 2019.

The countries with the highest levels of YLLs rates from diabetes:

  • Haiti
  • Guyana
  • Suriname
  • Grenada
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Honduras
  • Bolivia

Years lived with disability (YLDs)

In 2019, regionwide, noncommunicable diseases accounted for:

  • 105 million years of life lived with disability, equivalent to 10,455 YLDs per 100,000 population.
  • The crude YLD rate increased from 8,997 YLDs per 100,000 population in 2000 to 10,455 YLDs per 100,000 population in 2019.
  • The age-standardized YLD rates increased from 9,242 years per 100,000 population in 2000 to 9,449 years per 100,000 population in 2019.

The countries with the highest levels of YLDs are:

  • United States of America 
  • Brazi
  • Guatemala
  • Mexico
  • Paraguay
  • Guyana
  • El Salvador

Suggested citation:

The burden of noncommunicable diseases in the Region of the Americas, 2000-2019. ENLACE data portal. Pan American Health Organization, 2021.

DATA CLASSIFICATION

In the map and bar chart, the data is presented in five discrete classes created using the quantile classification method. Each class contains 20% of countries, which is easy to interpret. The quintile classes are labeled sequentially from Quintile 1 as the first quintile including the lowest fifth (0 to 20%) of the data to Quintile 5, the fifth quintile representing the class with the highest fifth (80% to 100%) of the data.

MEASURES

Measure names: Deaths, Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLDs), and Years of Life Lost (YLLs) due to diabetes mellitus.

Metric: Rate. 

Unit of Measure: deaths, DALY, YLD, and YLL per 100,000 population.

Disease: All noncommunicable diseases combined. Group II - Noncommunicable diseases as defined by the WHO Global Health Estimates cause list. 

Topic: Mortality and burden of disease.

Rationale: Measuring how many people die each year and why they died is one of the most important means – along with gauging how diseases and injuries are affecting people's health – for assessing the effectiveness of a country’s health system. Statistics of causes of death help health authorities evaluate and focalize public health actions.

Disaggregation: Age, Sex, Country, and Year.

Method of estimation: Mortality estimates by cause, age, sex, location (countries, and the region), and year were extracted from the WHO Global Health Estimates (GHE) 2000-2019. These estimates represent WHO's best estimates, computed using standard categories, definitions, and methods to ensure cross-country comparability, and may not be the same as official national estimates. 

Methodological details:

Data sources and methods for estimating causes of deaths and burden of diseases are described in the following documents:

Method of estimation of global and regional aggregates: Global, regional and subregional aggregates were computed by summing the absolute number of the measure (deaths, DALYs, YLDs, YLL) as the numerator and summing the population estimates from the World Population Prospect, produced by the UN Population Division, as denominators for all countries included in the geographic region or subregion. Rates were computed by dividing the aggregated numerator and aggregated population and multiplying the result y 100,000 population. Age-standardized rates were computed by the direct method using the World Standard Population. 

Preferred data sources: Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system with complete coverage and medical certification of cause of death.

  1. WHO. WHO methods and data sources for country-level causes of death 2000-2019. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020. Available online (accessed 1 February 2021).
  2. WHO. WHO methods and data sources for global burden of disease estimates, 2000-2019. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2020. Available online (accessed 1 February 2021).
  3. PAHO. Methodological Notes, NMH Data Portal. Pan American Health Organization. 2021.
  4. WHO. Topic on Diabetes Mellitus. World Health Organization. Available online (accessed 17 June 2021).