New report tracks global progress in reducing mortality from NCDs

Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and partner institutions provide a comprehensive analysis of changes in mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) across 185 countries and territories between 2010 and 2019, in a new study published in The Lancet.

The researchers found that mortality from NCDs decreased in 80% of countries during the study period. However, in most settings the pace of improvement was slower than in the previous decade, driven by more modest reductions across multiple NCDs.

Key contributors to the decreases in mortality from NCDs included reductions in deaths from stomach cancer and colorectal cancer (among both sexes), cervical cancer and breast cancer (among women), and lung cancer and prostate cancer (among men). These trends underscore the importance of targeted strategies for prevention and early detection in reducing the global burdens of cancer and NCDs.

This report provides critical background evidence for the upcoming high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in late September, where heads of state and government will convene to define a new vision for the prevention and control of NCDs. The meeting will culminate in the adoption of a new, ambitious, and actionable Political Declaration aimed at accelerating progress towards 2030 and beyond.

NCD Countdown 2030 Collaborators
Benchmarking progress in non-communicable diseases: a global analysis of cause-specific mortality from 2001 to 2019
Lancet. Published online 10 September 2025;
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01388-1

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