High cholesterol linked to 3.6 million deaths globally in 2023

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-07-30 01:00

Australia; International; NSW; VIC; QLD; SA; WA; TAS; NT; ACT

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High cholesterol was linked to 3.6 million deaths globally in 2023, according to a large international study including Aussie researchers, which sought to identify the global disease burden of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol - also known as the 'bad' cholesterol - using data from 806 studies and 38 randomised clinical trials spanning 204 countries. The research found that population growth and aging populations drove an increase in the burden of disease by 38.5% from 1990 to 2023 despite age-standardised death rates decreasing by 45.6% over the same period. One-third of the global cholesterol burden occurred in India and China, while Australia ranks among the countries with the highest age-standardised average cholesterol alongside Russia, Norway, and Austria.

News release

From: JAMA

Global Burden of Elevated LDL-C

What is the global disease burden attributable to elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)? In 2023, high LDL-C caused 3.6 million deaths (6.0% of all deaths) and 90.7 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) (3.2% of total DALYs). Despite declines of 45.6% in age-standardized mortality rates and 39.5% in DALY rates, the absolute LDL-C–related burden increased by 38.5% from 1990 to 2023, driven by population growth and aging, with notable regional disparities shifting toward middle-sociodemographic settings. Strategic approaches to prevent, diagnose, and treat elevated LDL-C across populations globally are needed.

Journal/
conference: JAMA

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Sydney, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Edith Cowan University, Charles Sturt University, Federation University Australia, Deakin University, The University of Newcastle, The University of Queensland, The Australian National University, Australian Catholic University, University of New South Wales, University of Melbourne, Monash University, University of Western Australia, Griffith University, Adelaide University, Flinders University, Western Sydney University, Macquarie University, University of Technology Sydney, the George Institute for Global Health

Funder: This study was funded by the Gates Foundation.

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