Global burden of lower respiratory infections and aetiologies, 1990-2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023.
Summary
PubMedWhy it matters This matters because the same antibiotic-resistant bacteria killing people in hospitals — like Klebsiella and Staph — also threaten the soil microbiomes that keep gardens and farms healthy, and understanding their spread helps us protect both human and ecological health.
Lung infections are still one of the deadliest threats on Earth, killing 2.5 million people in 2023 — mostly young children and elderly adults. Researchers tracked which germs are responsible across 204 countries over 33 years, finding that one bacteria (the kind that causes pneumonia) alone caused a quarter of all deaths. The good news is that vaccines are helping, but huge gaps remain, especially in Africa.
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A major global health study found that lung infections killed 2.5 million people in 2023, with bacterial pathogens like Streptococcus pneumoniae responsible for the most deaths. While child deaths have dropped since 2010, progress remains far too slow in sub-Saharan Africa and among older adults.
Key Findings
Lower respiratory infections caused 2.5 million deaths and 98.7 million disability-adjusted life years globally in 2023.
Streptococcus pneumoniae accounted for 25.3% of all LRI deaths (634,000), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (10.9%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.1%).
Child deaths from lung infections dropped 33.4% since 2010, yet 75 of 204 countries still exceed the global target of fewer than 60 deaths per 100,000 children under 5.
Abstract Preview
Lower respiratory infections (LRIs) remain the world's leading infectious cause of death. This analysis from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2023 provides glob...
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