According to a study, in 2023, 788 million people worldwide will have suffered from chronic kidney disease. The number of those affected has more than doubled since 1990.
09.11.2025, 09:3609.11.2025, 09:36
1.48 million people died from this disease in 2023. This is reported by a research team led by Theo Vos from the University of Washington in Seattle in the journal “The Lancet”. Diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure are the most common causes of kidney disease.
A nurse prepares an injection. (symbol image)Bild: keystone
“Chronic kidney diseases continue to receive significantly less attention in health policy than other non-communicable diseases,” Vos is quoted as saying in a statement from his institute. The study found that these diseases will be the ninth most common cause of death worldwide in 2023. In addition, kidney dysfunction is responsible for almost 12 percent of all deaths from cardiovascular diseases worldwide.
14 percent of people worldwide
In absolute numbers, the number of people with chronic kidney disease has more than doubled from 378 million in 1990 to 788 in 2023. However, this high increase is partly due to the growing world population and the aging of many societies, as the disease predominantly affects older people.
In 2023, a good 14 percent of people worldwide suffered from chronic kidney disease – but the vast majority of them were in an early stage. Kidney disease is particularly common in North Africa and the Middle East, where 18 percent of the population is affected. Other regions with above-average frequency include South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. (sda/dpa)
