A 2025 global analysis published in The Lancet found that chronic kidney disease now affects 788 million people worldwide and has become a top 10 cause of death for the first time. The number of people living with the condition more than doubled from 378 million in 1990 to 788 million in 2023, according to the study.

Roughly 1.5 million people died from chronic kidney disease in 2023, making it the 12th leading cause of reduced quality of life from disability that year. After adjusting for differences in age patterns across countries, deaths from the disease in 2023 were more than 6% higher than in 1993. The analysis, part of the Global Burden of Disease 2023 study, estimated that about 14% of adults worldwide have chronic kidney disease.

"Our work shows that chronic kidney disease is common, deadly, and getting worse as a major public health issue," said study co-senior author Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, director of NYU Langone's Optimal Aging Institute. "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," Coresh said.

Impaired kidney function contributed to about 12% of global cardiovascular deaths in 2023, highlighting its role as a major risk factor for heart disease. The biggest risk factors for chronic kidney disease were high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high body mass index. Most people with the condition in the study were still in the early stages, and medications or lifestyle changes can help prevent progression to dialysis or kidney transplantation when the disease is caught early.

"Chronic kidney disease is underdiagnosed and undertreated," said study co-lead author Morgan Grams, MD, PhD, Susan and Morris Mark Professor of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "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," Grams said.

In May 2025, the World Health Organization formally placed chronic kidney disease on its agenda for reducing early deaths from noncommunicable diseases by one third before 2030. The report was published in The Lancet and presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual Kidney Week conference. Researchers reviewed 2,230 published research papers and national health datasets from 133 countries for the analysis.