Covid-19 wipes out years of health gains, says WHO

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative influence on global health indicators, as evidenced by the World Health Organization's (WHO) most recent World Health Statistics. The pandemic, which has spread to every country in the world, has stopped the steady increase in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at birth (HALE) that had been occurring for almost ten years. Here is all you need to know about the report's main conclusions, the ongoing difficulties with noncommunicable diseases, the startling increase in malnutrition, and the advancement of global health objectives.

The decline in life expectancy

The WHO's 2024 World Health Statistics report shows a significant decline in life expectancy and HALE due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2019 and 2021, global life expectancy dropped by 1.8 years, from 73.2 to 71.4 years, setting us back to 2012 levels. Similarly, HALE saw a decrease of 1.5 years, from 63.4 to 61.9 years.

This decline was not uniform across the globe. Regions such as the Americas and Southeast Asia experienced the most severe impacts, with life expectancy reductions of approximately three years and HALE reductions of 2.5 years. In contrast, the Western Pacific Region saw minimal impacts, with life expectancy and HALE declining by less than 0.1 and 0.2 years, respectively.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasised the fragility of global health progress, stating, "In just two years, the COVID-19 pandemic erased a decade of gains in life expectancy. This highlights the critical importance of the new Pandemic Agreement to strengthen global health security and protect long-term health investments."

The threat of noncommunicable diseases

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) remain the leading cause of death worldwide. Before the pandemic, diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes were responsible for 74% of all deaths. The pandemic did not change this reality; instead, it added to the burden. COVID-19 rapidly became a top cause of death, ranking third in 2020 and second in 2021, with nearly 13 million lives lost during this period.


According to the WHO report, except in the African and Western Pacific regions, COVID-19 was among the top five causes of death. In the Americas, it even became the leading cause of death for both years. Despite the pandemic, NCDs continued to account for 78% of non-COVID deaths, highlighting the need for sustained focus on combating these chronic conditions.

The double burden of malnutrition

The world is dealing with a complex problem of malnutrition, characterised by the coexistence of undernutrition and obesity. In 2022, over one billion people aged five years and older were living with obesity, while more than half a billion were underweight. This double burden is particularly alarming among children. The WHO reports that 148 million children under five years old were affected by stunting (being too short for their age), 45 million suffered from wasting (being too thin for their height), and 37 million were overweight.

The pandemic has increased these issues, with significant health challenges faced by vulnerable groups such as persons with disabilities, refugees, and migrants. In 2021, around 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the global population, had a disability. This group often faces severe health inequities due to avoidable and unjust conditions.