Cardiovascular disease rates in Southeast Asia soar by 148% in 30 years according to latest figures
28 May 2025, 05:39
The number of people with cardiovascular disease surged by 148% in Southeast Asia over the past 30 years.
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It comes as data reveals the condition has become the region’s leading cause of mortality and morbidity.
According to new research, a total 37 million people in the region suffered from cardiovascular disease in 2021 and 1.7 million died from it.
The findings are based on analysis of health data between 1990 and 2021 from 10 Southeast Asian countries that make up the Asean bloc.
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The results were found by researchers at Seattle-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the National University of Singapore, and highlight the growing burden of public health, including cardiovascular disease, mental disorders, smoking and road injuries.
The main reasons contributing to cardiovascular disease were high systolic blood pressure, dietary risks, air pollution, high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and tobacco use.
The aging population in the region also contributes to the big jump in case numbers, the research found.
Marie Ng, the lead author and affiliate associate professor at IHME and associate professor at NUS, said: “Without immediate action from each of the countries, these preventable health conditions will worsen causing more death and disability across Asean.”
The latest study published in the publication that released the findings also found that more than 80 million people in Asia suffered from major mental disorders, 70% higher than in 1990.
A closer look by age showed 15- to 19-year-olds had the steepest climb in prevalence at nearly 11%.
Smoking remains a major public health concern. Since 1990, the number of smokers in every Asean country has increased, and the total number jumped by 63% to 137 million, although the proportion of smokers relative to population has declined.
Tobacco smoking accounted for about 11% of all-cause mortality across the region, with the death rate varied from less than 70 per 100,000 males in developed Singapore to more than five times higher in Cambodia.
Injuries killed hundreds of thousands of people in 2021 across Southeast Asia, with road accidents being the leading cause in most countries, followed by falls, self-harm, drowning and interpersonal violence. Road injuries were particularly severe in Thailand, where 30 deaths per 100,000 people were reported in 2021.
The global average death rate is 15 per 100,000.
