Report reveals rise in youth deaths across Africa driven by poverty, mental health gaps and surging NCDs
For a continent where youth are the majority, poverty, limited mental health services, and weak health systems are fueling preventable deaths. These range from injuries and suicide to undiagnosed non-communicable diseases.
What you need to know:
- In sub-Saharan Africa, the average age of death is just 37.1 years for women and 34.8 years for men—less than half that of high-income regions, where women live to 80.5 and men to 74.4 on average.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s lowest average age of death, according to new data that spotlights a growing youth mortality crisis.
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study released during the World Health Summit 2025 in Berlin shows a stark global divide. While global mortality rates have declined by 67 per cent since 1950 and life expectancy increased by over 20 years, now averaging 76.3 years for women and 71.5 years for men, Africa is being left behind.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the average age of death is just 37.1 years for women and 34.8 years for men—less than half that of high-income regions, where women live to 80.5 and men to 74.4 on average.
Compiled by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and over 16,500 researchers worldwide, the GBD study is the most comprehensive analysis of global mortality, disease, and risk factors to date, drawing on data from 204 countries between 1990 and 2023.
The report details alarming increases in deaths among young adults (20-39 years) in high-income North America, driven by suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol. Deaths in the 5–19 age group also increased in Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and North America. However, Africa faces a different, yet equally urgent, crisis.
For a continent where youth are the majority, poverty, limited mental health services, and weak health systems are fueling preventable deaths. These range from injuries and suicide to undiagnosed non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
“The youth mortality trend should be a wake-up call. It signals not just a health crisis, but a failure of prevention, equity, and mental health support globally, especially in countries where resources are already strained,” said Dr Christopher Murray, Director of IHME.
The GBD report also confirms a seismic shift in the causes of death globally. Infectious diseases, long the primary killers in low-income regions, are declining. Measles, tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases are also in sharp decline. In contrast, NCDs now account for nearly two-thirds of global deaths and disabilities.
The leading causes of death worldwide are ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections and neonatal disorders. These non-communicable and early-life conditions have reclaimed their positions as the top drivers of mortality following the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Notably, Covid, which was the leading cause of death globally in 2021, has since fallen significantly in impact and now ranks 20th among all causes of death.
This global shift, however, masks a dangerous divide. High-income countries are managing NCDs with robust systems, while sub-Saharan Africa remains vulnerable due to delayed diagnosis, poor treatment access, and limited awareness. The result is a surge in premature deaths from diabetes, stroke, kidney disease, and hypertension.
“Africa’s health burden is becoming double-edged. We’re still fighting infectious diseases while facing a surge in chronic illnesses without the systems in place to manage them,” said Dr Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The third capstone study from the GBD identifies 88 modifiable risk factors that contribute to global death and disability, suggesting that up to half of the world’s disease burden could be prevented.
“We are at a crossroads,” said Dr Murray. “This report shows that most of the world’s health burden is not inevitable. It’s preventable if countries act.”
