Just one in 20 people (4.3 per cent) worldwide had no health problems in 2013, while a third (2.3 billion) experienced more than five ailments, according to a new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013, published in The Lancet. The research revealed that the proportion of lost years of healthy life due to illness rather than death rose from 21 per cent in 1990 to 31 per cent in 2013.

As the global population grows and the proportion of elderly people increases, the number of people living in poorer health is set to rise over coming decades, with rates of disability declining much slower than death.

“Addressing these issues will require a shift in health priorities around the world, not just to keep people alive into old age, but also to keep them healthy,” says Professor Vos, lead author and Professor of Global Health at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington.