Global study projects annual new dementia cases to reach 24.7 mln by 2050

An estimated 11.4 million people worldwide developed dementia in 2023, with the number of new cases projected to rise to 24.7 million annually by 2050, according to an Australian-led international study, El.kz cites Xinhua.

The study, led by researchers at the Center for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) at Australia's University of New South Wales, analyzed data from 38,418 people across 22 population-based studies in 18 countries and territories, according to a center statement on Tuesday.

The research, published in JAMA Neurology, provides a new global benchmark for understanding how frequently new dementia cases occur across different populations and helps explain the changing global dementia landscape.

It found that dementia incidence was higher among women than men, at 10.6 cases per 1,000 person-years compared with 8.6 among men. The rate was also substantially higher in low- and middle-income countries, at 13.6 cases per 1,000 person-years, compared with 8.3 in high-income countries.

Dementia currently affects more than 57 million people worldwide, with previous research projecting the number of people living with the condition to reach about 150 million by 2050, according to the study.

"The higher incidence we observed in low- and middle-income countries is particularly concerning because these regions are experiencing rapid population ageing while often having the fewest resources for prevention, diagnosis and care," said senior author and CHeBA Co-Director Prof. Perminder Sachdev.

The study did not establish the reasons for the differences by sex or income level, which may reflect a combination of health, social, economic, educational and environmental factors, the researchers said.