Global Burden of Disease (GBD)
The GBD study is the largest and most comprehensive effort to quantify health loss across places and over time, so health systems can be improved and disparities eliminated.
Nominations are now open for the GBD Emerging Researcher Award!
The $5,000 award supports early-career global health researchers as they study burden of disease in populations.
Featured GBD 2021 publication
Global fertility in 204 countries and territories, 1950-2021, with forecasts to 2100
During the period from 1950 to 2021, global fertility rates more than halved, falling to just above replacement level.
More GBD 2021 publications
GBD data and estimates
Review and download estimates and data sources from the latest GBD study.
Explore GBD research
Estimates by country
Search GBD results by national and subnational locations, and get an overview of population health factors like life expectancy, fertility, and causes of death.
Estimates by disease, injury, and risk factor
Review GBD findings by disease, injury, or risk factor with our two-page factsheets.
GBD for policy impact
Learn how leaders in global health are using and contributing to the GBD study to make an impact on their communities with the GBD Emerging Researcher Award and Collaborator Spotlights.
About the GBD study
Everyone, all over the world, deserves to live a long life in full health. One of the largest scientific collaborations in the world, the GBD measures what prevents us from achieving that goal, putting knowledge and tools into the hands of people and groups around the world to make people healthier.
By identifying the biggest health problems, it is helping governments, scientists, and partners advocate for resources and answer questions such as:
- What diseases, injuries, and risk factors cause the most early death and disability in a given country?
- How does health performance differ across countries?
- When designing an intervention to improve the health of young women, which health problems should be targeted to make the greatest impact?
Get involved
Collaboration across the scientific community is one of our core principles. From data analysis to policy use, the GBD Collaborator Network is instrumental to the GBD study and affiliated research projects.