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Which Transmissible Diseases are the Biggest Health Burden in Every Country?
Posted by Julia Tortorice

 

Click here to download the printable PDF version of the chart

A wide variety of transmissible diseases are passed from one person to another within countries and around the world, but which of these contagious diseases is the biggest health burden in each country? Using burden of disease estimates from the World Heath Organization's (WHO) Global Health Estimates (GHE), we analyzed 40 different communicable diseases to see which types of disease caused the highest loss of daily adjusted life years (DALYs) in each of the countries around the world. DALYs are a common health metric because they combine the burden of mortality and morbidity to determine the sum of years of healthy life that are lost due to the disease in a country’s population. 

The NYRequirements.com team analyzed a wide variety of infectious, parasitic, and respiratory diseases, including HIV/AIDS, STDs, childhood-cluster diseases, hepatitis, intestinal nematode infections, as well as diseases like malaria, dengue, and yellow fever. The respiratory diseases were divided into lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia or bronchitis, and upper respiratory infections, which can include the common cold, sinusitis, or pharyngitis. Out of the 40 communicable diseases included in our study, only six were found to be the biggest health burden throughout our list of countries: lower respiratory infections, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, malaria, and measles. Lower respiratory infections were found to be the biggest health burden in a majority of countries. Explore our map to see which countries are the most affected by these six common types of transmissible diseases. 

 

Which Transmissible Disease Is the Biggest Health Burden on the World?

Lower respiratory diseases are the biggest health burden on the world, and out of the many communicable diseases analyzed, they were found to have the highest number of DALYs lost in 131 countries around the world. Nigeria is is the most affected by lower respiratory illnesses, with 16,230 daily adjusted life years lost to these respiratory diseases. The total number of DALYs lost worldwide due to lower respiratory illnesses is 104,622 years of healthy life. 

The next most burdensome transmissible disease was found to be HIV/AIDS, which is the biggest health burden in 28 different countries. In total, HIV and AIDS have cost the world’s population more than 40,000 years of healthy life. 

Transmissible Diseases That Are the Biggest Health Burdens Around the World

  1. Lower Respiratory Infections are the biggest health burden in 131 countries.
  2. HIV/AIDS is the biggest health burden in 28 countries.
  3. Tuberculosis is the biggest health burden in ten countries.
  4. Diarrheal diseases are the biggest health burden in five countries.
  5. Malaria is the biggest health burden in four countries.
  6. Measles is the biggest health burden in two countries.

How Is the Health Burden of a Disease Measured?

The global burden of disease is calculated using disability adjusted life years (DALY), a commonly used universal health metric that combines mortality and morbidity to determine the number of years of healthy life each population is losing. It includes the potential years of life lost due to early death as well as the years of healthy life that are lost due to being in a state of poor health or disability from the disease. One DALY equals one year of full health per 100,000 people. Comparing the DALYs lost to different common diseases shows which health problems cause the most suffering in each country’s population and is also a helpful metric to use as a way to compare the overall health of countries around the world. 

The Countries With the Most DALYs Lost to a Transmissible Disease 

Rank Country Transmissible Disease DALYs Lost
1

India

Tuberculosis

24,836.1

2

Nigeria

Lower Respiratory Infections

16,230.4

3

Pakistan

Lower Respiratory Infections

5,861.8

4

Indonesia

Tuberculosis

4,985.2

5

South Africa

HIV/AIDS

4,637.9

6

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lower Respiratory Infections

4,586.6

7

China

Lower Respiratory Infections

4,209.4

8

Ethiopia

Lower Respiratory Infections

3,267.5

9

Mozambique

HIV/AIDS

3,163.5

10

Philippines

Lower Respiratory Infections

2,166.6

11

Brazil

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,895.0

12

Bangladesh

Tuberculosis

1,853.6

13

Angola

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,777.6

14

Chad

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,731.4

15

Tanzania

HIV/AIDS

1,693.7

16

Somalia

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,547.7

17

Niger

Malaria

1,502.3

18

Kenya

HIV/AIDS

1,395.9

19

Uganda

HIV/AIDS

1,379.5

20

Côte d'Ivoire

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,364.6

21

Burkina Faso

Malaria

1,305.3

22

Cameroon

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,219.4

23

Zimbabwe

HIV/AIDS

1,201.7

24

Mali

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,166.6

25

Zambia

HIV/AIDS

1,118.9

26

Russia

HIV/AIDS

1,114.1

27

Japan

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,108.5

28

United States of America

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,021.7

29

Egypt

Lower Respiratory Infections

1,007.0

30

Myanmar

Tuberculosis

1,006.7

31

Yemen

Lower Respiratory Infections

891.5

32

Sudan

Lower Respiratory Infections

887.2

33

Malawi

HIV/AIDS

806.3

34

Madagascar

Measles

800.1

35

Guinea

Lower Respiratory Infections

796.8

36

Ghana

HIV/AIDS

789.6

37

North Korea

Tuberculosis

776.5

38

Mexico

Lower Respiratory Infections

739.1

39

Vietnam

Lower Respiratory Infections

735.6

40

South Sudan

Lower Respiratory Infections

715.5

41

Thailand

HIV/AIDS

715.2

42

Nepal

Tuberculosis

689.1

43

Argentina

Lower Respiratory Infections

641.6

44

Benin

Lower Respiratory Infections

635.8

45

Sierra Leone

Malaria

614.1

46

Malaysia

Lower Respiratory Infections

507.4

47

Burundi

Lower Respiratory Infections

495.7

48

United Kingdom

Lower Respiratory Infections

481.3

49

Iran

Lower Respiratory Infections

438.7

50

Togo

Malaria

430.3

51

Senegal

Lower Respiratory Infections

406.6

52

Haiti

Lower Respiratory Infections

406.1

53

Iraq

Lower Respiratory Infections

402.0

54

Venezuela 

HIV/AIDS

340.0

55

Peru

Lower Respiratory Infections

329.6

56

South Korea

Lower Respiratory Infections

328.0

57

Guatemala

Lower Respiratory Infections

325.1

58

Central African Republic

Lower Respiratory Infections

318.9

59

Poland

Lower Respiratory Infections

313.8

60

Algeria

Lower Respiratory Infections

309.9

61

Cambodia

Lower Respiratory Infections

303.8

62

Ukraine

HIV/AIDS

301.8

63

Lesotho

HIV/AIDS

295.6

64

Germany

Lower Respiratory Infections

284.7

65

Morocco

Lower Respiratory Infections

276.7

66

Botswana

HIV/AIDS

275.4

67

Rwanda

Lower Respiratory Infections

270.9

68

Congo

HIV/AIDS

266.4

69

Turkey

Lower Respiratory Infections

263.9

70

Colombia

Lower Respiratory Infections

263.4

71

Uzbekistan

Lower Respiratory Infections

253.8

72

Papua New Guinea

Tuberculosis

251.9

73

Liberia

Measles

223.8

74

Romania

Lower Respiratory Infections

222.2

75

Tajikistan

Lower Respiratory Infections

213.2

76

Syria

Diarrheal diseases

212.0

77

France

Lower Respiratory Infections

210.4

78

Saudi Arabia

Lower Respiratory Infections

205.4

79

Bolivia 

Lower Respiratory Infections

192.3

80

Namibia

HIV/AIDS

174.2

81

Italy

Lower Respiratory Infections

171.7

82

Mauritania

Lower Respiratory Infections

171.6

83

Turkmenistan

HIV/AIDS

152.2

84

Spain

Lower Respiratory Infections

151.6

85

Laos

Lower Respiratory Infections

143.4

86

Eswatini

HIV/AIDS

143.1

87

Ecuador

Lower Respiratory Infections

133.1

88

Cuba

Lower Respiratory Infections

130.6

89

Kazakhstan

Lower Respiratory Infections

128.5

90

Eritrea

Lower Respiratory Infections

125.8

91

Sri Lanka

Lower Respiratory Infections

114.6

92

Equatorial Guinea

HIV/AIDS

113.2

93

Canada

Lower Respiratory Infections

97.1

94

Dominican Republic

HIV/AIDS

97.0

95

Gabon

Tuberculosis

91.9

96

Greece

Lower Respiratory Infections

84.3

97

Guinea-Bissau

HIV/AIDS

84.1

98

Azerbaijan

Lower Respiratory Infections

80.6

99

Portugal

Lower Respiratory Infections

78.8

100

Singapore

Lower Respiratory Infections

74.8

101

Gambia

Lower Respiratory Infections

72.3

102

Czechia

Lower Respiratory Infections

65.0

103

Belgium

Lower Respiratory Infections

62.9

104

Chile

Lower Respiratory Infections

58.7

105

Netherlands

Lower Respiratory Infections

56.3

106

Honduras

Lower Respiratory Infections

54.4

107

Australia

Lower Respiratory Infections

53.2

108

El Salvador

Lower Respiratory Infections

52.6

109

Tunisia

Lower Respiratory Infections

52.6

110

Paraguay

Lower Respiratory Infections

52.2

111

Timor-Leste

Tuberculosis

50.3

112

Nicaragua

Lower Respiratory Infections

47.5

113

Kyrgyzstan

Lower Respiratory Infections

47.4

114

Jordan

Lower Respiratory Infections

44.2

115

Libya

Tuberculosis

42.5

116

Moldova

Lower Respiratory Infections

40.4

117

Comoros

Lower Respiratory Infections

37.4

118

Slovakia

Lower Respiratory Infections

36.7

119

Jamaica

HIV/AIDS

35.9

120

Serbia

Lower Respiratory Infections

35.9

121

Bulgaria

Lower Respiratory Infections

33.8

122

Panama

HIV/AIDS

32.9

123

Djibouti

Lower Respiratory Infections

30.5

124

Sweden

Lower Respiratory Infections

30.3

125

Belarus

Lower Respiratory Infections

28.4

126

Hungary

Lower Respiratory Infections

27.5

127

Denmark

Lower Respiratory Infections

25.5

128

Mongolia

Lower Respiratory Infections

23.7

129

Armenia

Lower Respiratory Infections

23.2

130

United Arab Emirates

Lower Respiratory Infections

22.5

131

Oman

Lower Respiratory Infections

22.4

132

Georgia

Lower Respiratory Infections

22.2

133

Lebanon

Lower Respiratory Infections

21.1

134

Switzerland

Lower Respiratory Infections

21.0

135

Austria

Lower Respiratory Infections

19.3

136

Israel

Lower Respiratory Infections

19.3

137

Uruguay

Lower Respiratory Infections

19.2

138

Costa Rica

Lower Respiratory Infections

18.6

139

Norway

Lower Respiratory Infections

18.3

140

Ireland

Lower Respiratory Infections

14.6

141

Solomon Islands

Lower Respiratory Infections

14.5

142

Lithuania

Lower Respiratory Infections

13.9

143

Guyana

HIV/AIDS

13.5

144

Croatia

Lower Respiratory Infections

13.4

145

New Zealand

Lower Respiratory Infections

11.5

146

Fiji

Lower Respiratory Infections

11.3

147

Kuwait

Lower Respiratory Infections

10.8

148

Latvia

Lower Respiratory Infections

10.7

149

Albania

Lower Respiratory Infections

10.0

150

Trinidad and Tobago

HIV/AIDS

9.6

151

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Lower Respiratory Infections

8.3

152

Mauritius

Lower Respiratory Infections

8.1

153

Bhutan

Diarrheal diseases

7.6

154

Bahamas

HIV/AIDS

6.9

155

Suriname

HIV/AIDS

6.8

156

Vanuatu

Lower Respiratory Infections

6.6

157

Finland

Lower Respiratory Infections

6.5

158

Belize

HIV/AIDS

6.4

159

Cabo Verde

Lower Respiratory Infections

6.1

160

Estonia

Lower Respiratory Infections

5.9

161

Sao Tome and Principe

Lower Respiratory Infections

4.9

162

Slovenia

Lower Respiratory Infections

4.3

163

North Macedonia

Lower Respiratory Infections

4.2

164

Qatar

Lower Respiratory Infections

3.5

165

Kiribati

Lower Respiratory Infections

3.3

166

Bahrain

Diarrheal diseases

2.9

167

Barbados

Lower Respiratory Infections

2.8

168

Micronesia

Lower Respiratory Infections

2.6

169

Malta

Lower Respiratory Infections

2.3

170

Samoa

Lower Respiratory Infections

1.9

171

Brunei

Lower Respiratory Infections

1.7

172

Seychelles

Lower Respiratory Infections

1.7

173

Montenegro

Lower Respiratory Infections

1.6

174

Cyprus

Diarrheal diseases

1.5

175

Saint Lucia

Lower Respiratory Infections

1.4

176

Luxembourg

Lower Respiratory Infections

1.3

177

Maldives

Diarrheal diseases

1.1

178

Tonga

Lower Respiratory Infections

1.0

179

Grenada

Lower Respiratory Infections

0.9

180

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Lower Respiratory Infections

0.9

181

Iceland

Lower Respiratory Infections

0.8

182

Antigua and Barbuda

Lower Respiratory Infections

0.4

 

 

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