Understanding the global impact of dementia — a growing public health challenge affecting millions worldwide.
Dementia is a broad term for conditions involving cognitive decline severe enough to interfere with daily life — most commonly Alzheimer's disease. It affects memory, thinking, behavior and the ability to perform everyday tasks.
Over 60% of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries. The number of cases is increasing rapidly as populations age, and could triple by 2050 without effective prevention strategies.
Countries highlighted in red have the highest absolute number of people living with dementia.
Map highlights top 10 countries by absolute number of people living with dementia. Darker shading indicates higher numbers. Hover over a country for details.
Based on the most recent global prevalence data — total estimated people living with dementia.
📌 Note: Rankings based on total estimated people living with dementia. Sri Lanka highlighted as our primary focus region.
Some smaller countries like Japan and parts of Europe have very high prevalence per population, but larger countries with aging populations (China, the US, India) have the highest total numbers.
Dementia is one of the leading causes of disability and dependency among older adults. With aging populations worldwide, the dementia burden is expected to continue rising significantly.
Worldwide dementia care costs were estimated at US $1.3 trillion in 2019, with costs projected to rise further as case numbers increase across the globe.
Key takeaways from global dementia data
57 million people worldwide are currently living with dementia, and this number is rising as populations age.
China has the highest number of people with dementia of any country, with approximately 17 million cases.
Other high-burden countries include the United States, India, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Russia, Italy, and Indonesia.
Dementia has major health, social, and economic impacts and remains a growing global public health concern as life expectancy increases.