The Global Impact of Dementia

A new report from Alzheimer’s Disease International suggests that the number of people living with dementia worldwide -- and the cost of dementia care -- will grow dramatically in the next 35 years.

Asia currently leads the world in the number of people living with dementia, followed by Europe, the Americas, and Africa, according to The World Alzheimer Report 2015.

By 2050, the number of people living with dementia in the Americas will rise by 20.9 million, making that region home to the second-largest population of people living with dementia on the globe.

A Global Picture of Dementia in 2015

The World Alzheimer Report paints this picture of dementia in 2015:

• 9.9 million new cases of dementia around the world.

• 46.8 million people worldwide living with dementia, predicted to reach 131.5 million by 2050.

• 22.9 million people living with dementia in Asia, followed by 10.5 million people in Europe, 9.4 million people in the Americas, and 4 million people in Africa. By 2050, those numbers will rise to 67.2 million in Asia, 29.9 million in the Americas, 18.6 million in Europe, and 15.8 million in Africa.

• 58% of all people with dementia live in low- and moderate-income countries. That percentage will rise to 63% in 2030 and 68% in 2050.

• $818 billion spent worldwide on dementia care. By 2030, the cost of dementia care will rise to $2 trillion.

“If global dementia care were a country,” concludes the report, “it would be the 18th largest economy in the world exceeding the market values of companies like Apple and Google.”

Alzheimer's Disease Recommendations

Based on the findings of The World Alzheimer Report 2015, Alzheimer’s Disease International makes 6 recommendations:

1. Involve more countries and regions in global action on dementia. 
   
   
2. Make risk reduction a public health priority, with a focus on tackling shared risk factors with other non-communicable diseases like cancer and diabetes.
   
   
3. The World Health Organization should issue a Dementia Action Plan with clear targets for the 194 member states. 
   
   
4. Invest more money in research, with a more balanced distribution of programs for risk reduction, treatment, care, and cure.
   
   
5. The G20 group of nations should lead politically on this issue. Today, 80% of people living with dementia live in the G20 countries, compared to 28% living in the G7 nations.
   
   
6. All countries should develop national dementia plans to help support people living with dementia and their caregivers. These plans should be monitored and renewed on a regular basis.