Dementia Rates by Country 2024

Dementia is a problem that impacts people all over the world. In general, the older someone is, the greater the chance of developing dementia. European countries tend to have some of the highest rates of dementia in the world. The rate of dementia in Finland is 54.65, which is calculated as the number of people observed who develop dementia divided by person-years, which is the number of people times the number of years they are observed. There are several other countries in Europe that land at the top of the list as well. For example, the dementia rate in the United Kingdom is 42.70, which is good enough for second.

Does the United States Have a High Rate of Dementia?

The United States does not have the highest rate of dementia in the world, but it is still relatively high. The United States is 8th on the list, with a total dementia rate of 33.26. In addition, the average dementia rate across the world, including the United States, has been rising during the past few years.

Why Is the Rate of Dementia Going Up?

The rate of dementia is going up for a number of reasons. The biggest reason why the rate of dementia is going up across the world is that people are living longer than they did before. As alluded to above, the older someone is, the greater the chance of them developing dementia. As a result, as medical technology continues to approve, people are living longer. This is one of the biggest reasons why people are developing dementia at a higher rate than they did before.

Furthermore, medical technology has made it easier for us to identify people who suffer from dementia. Diagnostic procedures have gotten better, and screening tools have improved. Because our medical techniques have gotten better, it has become easier for us to diagnose dementia at earlier stages. For this reason, people are being diagnosed and treated for dementia at an earlier age, which is increasing the number of people who are diagnosed with dementia overall. The reasons why dementia is becoming more common are multifactorial.

Why Do Developed Countries Have Higher Rates of Dementia?

When taking a look at the list of countries with individuals who suffer from dementia, it is mostly developed countries on the list. Some of the other countries toward the top of the list include Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, and the Netherlands. These are all developed countries, and they tend to have higher rates of dementia when compared to countries that are still developing.

The biggest reason why developed countries have a higher rate of dementia is that medical technology is better. People in these countries tend to live longer, so they live long enough to develop dementia. In developing countries, people do not have as long of a life expectancy. Therefore, the rate of dementia is lower. The rate of dementia should continue to go up as people live longer.