A new international study has revealed that record numbers of people around the world now have reduced kidney function.
The number of people living with chronic kidney disease has more than doubled in the past three decades—from 378 million in 1990 to 788 million in 2023.
As the world’s population grows and ages, the disease has now entered the list of the top 10 causes of death worldwide for the first time.
The large-scale study was led by researchers from NYU Langone Health, the University of Glasgow, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. The team analyzed global data to better understand how this silent condition is spreading.
Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, happens when the kidneys gradually lose their ability to filter waste and extra fluid from the blood. While early stages may cause few or no symptoms, the advanced stages can be life-threatening and may require dialysis or a kidney transplant to stay alive.
According to the study, about 14% of adults globally now live with CKD. The report also found that approximately 1.5 million people died from the disease in 2023, marking a 6% rise in death rates since 1993 when adjusted for differences in age across countries. These numbers show that CKD is becoming one of the most serious chronic illnesses in the world.
“Our work shows that chronic kidney disease is common, deadly, and getting worse as a public health issue,” said Dr. Josef Coresh, co-senior author of the study and director of NYU Langone’s Optimal Aging Institute.
He emphasized that CKD deserves as much attention as other major diseases like cancer, heart disease, and mental health disorders. The study’s findings were published in *The Lancet* and presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual Kidney Week conference.
In May 2025, the World Health Organization officially recognized CKD as a global health priority. It has been added to the WHO’s goal of reducing premature deaths from non-infectious diseases by one-third before 2030.
Experts say that understanding how the disease is changing across populations is a key step toward designing effective prevention and treatment strategies.
The report is part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 study, the most detailed international project tracking health and disease patterns worldwide.
Researchers analyzed more than 2,200 studies and national health records from 133 countries to create a comprehensive picture of CKD trends. They also looked at how the disease affects quality of life through disability and its link to other illnesses.
One major finding was that poor kidney function not only kills millions directly but also increases the risk of heart disease. The study found that CKD contributes to around 12% of cardiovascular deaths globally. In addition, the disease ranked as the 12th leading cause of years lived with disability in 2023, showing its serious impact on daily life and wellbeing.
Researchers identified several key risk factors behind the global rise of CKD: high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and obesity. These conditions, often caused by poor diet, sedentary lifestyles, and limited access to healthcare, are becoming more common in many parts of the world.
Most people diagnosed with CKD in the study were in the early stages, meaning their kidneys were still working but slowly deteriorating. This is a crucial stage for treatment, as early intervention through medication, diet, and exercise can prevent more severe and costly outcomes like dialysis or kidney transplantation.
However, access to treatment remains unequal. In low- and middle-income regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, few patients receive dialysis or kidney transplants. These life-saving treatments are often too expensive or unavailable in many of these areas.
“Chronic kidney disease is underdiagnosed and undertreated,” said study co-lead author Dr. Morgan Grams, a professor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She emphasized the need for wider use of simple urine tests to detect the disease early and better access to affordable therapy.
Dr. Grams added that several new drugs developed in the past five years can slow the disease’s progression and reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure—but it will take time for these treatments to reach people worldwide.
Importantly, the researchers warn that the true scale of CKD may be even greater than current estimates because many people never get tested. The findings highlight the urgent need for increased awareness, early screening, and access to care to prevent millions of avoidable deaths in the coming decades.
Overall, the study paints a sobering picture of a growing global health crisis. As populations age and risk factors like diabetes and high blood pressure rise, CKD is becoming one of the defining chronic diseases of our time.
Experts say that with better prevention, early diagnosis, and equal access to new treatments, millions of lives could be saved—and the world could slow the rapid growth of this silent epidemic.
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about how to protect your kidneys from diabetes, and drinking coffee could help reduce risk of kidney injury.
For more information about kidney health, please see recent studies about foods that may prevent recurrence of kidney stones, and eating nuts linked to lower risk of chronic kidney disease and death.
The study is published in The Lancet.
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