The Global Burden of Chronic Kidney Disease

Our work shows that chronic kidney disease is common, deadly, and getting worse as a major public health issue.

Key Findings

A 2025 global analysis estimates the number of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) rose from 378 million in 1990 to 788 million in 2023. CKD has become one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide.

Approximately 14% of adults worldwide have CKD; about 1.5 million died from it in 2023. After adjusting for age, deaths were over 6% higher than in 1993.

Study Details

The research was led by NYU Langone Health, the University of Glasgow, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. It was part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, reviewing 2,230 papers and datasets from 133 countries.

Impaired kidney function contributed to about 12% of global cardiovascular deaths. Major risk factors include high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high body mass index.

Expert Statements

Co-senior author Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, stated: "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."

Co-lead author Morgan Grams, MD, PhD, added: "Chronic kidney disease is underdiagnosed and undertreated. 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."

Policy and Guidelines

In May 2025, the World Health Organization added CKD to its agenda for reducing early deaths from noncommunicable diseases by one third before 2030. Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes has been updating its 2024 CKD guidance to include new kidney protective treatments (SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1-based therapies, etc.).

Access Disparities

Dialysis and kidney transplants are less available and affordable in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and other low-income regions.

Funding and Disclosures

Funded by NIH grant R01DK100446, the Gates Foundation, and the National Kidney Foundation. Coresh reports being a scientific adviser and equity holder in Healthy.io and a consultant for SomaLogic.