Number of adults with dementia to exceed 150m by 2050, study finds

The number of adults living with dementia worldwide is on course to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050, according to the first study of its kind.

Experts described the data as shocking and said it was clear that dementia presented “a major and rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems” in every community, country and continent.

US researchers said the dramatic rise from an estimated 57 million cases in 2019 would be primarily due to population growth and ageing. However, several risk factors for dementia – including obesity, smoking and high blood sugar – would also fuel the increase, they said.

Improvements in global education access are projected to reduce global dementia prevalence by 6.2 million cases by 2050. But this will be countered by anticipated trends in obesity, high blood sugar and smoking, which are expected to result in an extra 6.8 million dementia cases.

Hilary Evans, the chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, who was not involved in the study, said the figures “lay bare the shocking scale of dementia across the world”.

She said: “We need to see concerted global action to avoid this number tripling. Dementia doesn’t just affect individuals, it can devastate whole families and networks of friends and loved ones. The heartbreaking personal cost of dementia goes hand in hand with huge economic and societal impacts, strengthening the case to governments across the world to do more to protect lives now and in the future.”

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Source: The Guardian, 6 January 2022