World Alzheimer Report 2015

The global impact of dementia: An analysis of prevalence, incidence, cost and trends

The World Alzheimer Report 2015 provides an update on ADI's global dementia data, as well as a systematic review around prevalence and incidence of dementia over time.

The World Alzheimer Report 2015, ‘The global impact of dementia: An analysis of prevalence, incidence, cost and trends’, updates ADI’s global dementia data. By carrying out a full update of previous systematic reviews, the report makes key recommendations to provide a global framework for action on dementia.

The report also includes a systematic review of the evidence for and against recent trends in the prevalence and incidence of dementia over time, as well as an analysis of the broader societal impact of dementia.

Some of the key findings include:

  • In 2015, over 46 million people were living with dementia worldwide. This number is estimated to increase to 131.5 million by 2050
  • The total estimated worldwide cost of dementia was US$818 billion in 2015, and it would become a trillion dollar disease by 2018
  • Research investment for dementia should be scaled up and proportionate to the societal cost of the disease
  • Investment in research should be balanced between prevention, treatment, care and cure

The report supported calls for a Global action plan on dementia and a Global Dementia Observatory (GDO), which have subsequently been delivered by the World Health Organization. ADI continues to monitor the implementation of the plan and GDO.

The report was researched and authored by Prof Martin Prince, Prof Anders Wimo, Dr Maëlenn Guerchet, Miss Gemma-Claire Ali, Dr Yu-Tzu Wu and Dr Matthew Prina on behalf of the Global Observatory for Ageing and Dementia Care which is hosted at the Health Service and Population Research Department, King’s College London.

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