Chronic kidney disease has become one of the world's most widespread and deadly health problems, with record numbers of people now estimated to have reduced kidney function.
A 2025 global analysis found that the number of people living with the condition rose from 378 million in 1990 to 788 million in 2023. As the global population has grown and aged, chronic kidney disease has moved into the top 10 causes of death worldwide for the first time.
The work was led by researchers at NYU Langone Health, the University of Glasgow, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. It examined the growing toll of a disease that slowly weakens the kidneys' ability to remove waste and extra fluid from the blood.
In mild cases, people may feel no symptoms at all. In advanced cases, patients may need dialysis, kidney replacement therapy, or a kidney transplant.
A Disease Many People Never See Coming
The analysis estimated that about 14% of adults worldwide have chronic kidney disease. It also found that roughly 1.5 million people died from the condition in 2023. After adjusting for differences in age patterns across countries, deaths were more than 6% higher than in 1993.
"Our work shows that chronic kidney disease is common, deadly, and getting worse as a major public health issue," said study co-senior author Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, director of NYU Langone's Optimal Aging Institute. "These findings support efforts to recognize the condition alongside cancer, heart disease, and mental health concerns as a major priority for policymakers around the world."
In May 2025, the World Health Organization formally placed chronic kidney disease on its agenda for reducing early deaths from noncommunicable diseases by one third before 2030. Coresh said that tackling the problem requires a clear and current picture of how the disease is affecting populations around the world. He is also the Terry and Mel Karmazin Professor of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
The report was published in The Lancet and was also presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual Kidney Week conference. According to the authors, it was the most comprehensive global estimate of chronic kidney disease in nearly a decade.
A Global Snapshot of Kidney Damage
The investigation was part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, a large international effort to track health loss across countries and over time. Its results are often used to guide public health policy and shape global health research priorities.
For the analysis, researchers reviewed 2,230 published research papers and national health datasets from 133 countries. They looked at patterns in diagnoses and deaths, and also measured how much disability is linked to chronic kidney disease.
The findings showed that kidney damage does not only threaten the kidneys. Impaired kidney function was also a major risk factor for heart disease, contributing to about 12% of global cardiovascular deaths.
In 2023, chronic kidney disease was also the 12th leading cause of reduced quality of life from disability. The biggest risk factors were high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high body mass index (a measure of obesity).
Early Treatment Could Change the Trajectory
Most people with chronic kidney disease in the study were still in the early stages. That detail matters because earlier action can often slow the disease and help patients avoid more intensive and costly treatments later.
Coresh said medications and lifestyle changes can help prevent progression to dialysis or kidney transplantation when the condition is caught early enough.
Access to treatment, however, is uneven. In sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and other low-income regions, relatively few people receive dialysis or kidney transplants. The likely reason is that these treatments are often less available and harder to afford in those areas.
"Chronic kidney disease is underdiagnosed and undertreated," said study co-lead author Morgan Grams, MD, PhD. "Our report underscores the need for more urine testing to catch it early and the need to ensure that patients can afford and access therapy once they are diagnosed."
Grams, the Susan and Morris Mark Professor of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said several medications introduced over the past five years can slow kidney disease and lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. Still, she noted that it will take time for those advances to improve outcomes on a global scale.
Source: ScienceDaily
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