Numbers living with or dying from disorders such as stroke rises dramatically to 3.4bn people – 43% of global population
Neurological conditions ranging from migraine to stroke, Parkinson’s disease and dementia, are now the leading cause of ill-health worldwide, causing 11.1 million deaths in 2021, research has revealed.
In the UK, figures from Brain Research UK show one in six people have some form of neurological condition, with 2.6 million people living with the effects of traumatic brain injury or stroke. The most prevalent neurological disorders in 2021 were tension headaches, with about 2bn cases, and migraine, with about 1.1bn cases.
The researchers highlighted global health inequalities, with 80% of neurological deaths and health loss occurring in low- and middle-income countries. In the worst-off regions of western and central sub-Saharan Africa, the death rate and years lost to ill-health, disability or early death were five times higher than the global average.