Dementia is a scourge that contributes to the rapid decline of mental faculties in the old. The affliction is characterized by memory loss, impaired thinking, and a general decline in activities such as reading and writing.
Although the progression of age naturally results in the loss of neurons, dementia is characterized by changes that occur in specific brain regions that result in neurons and their connections not working correctly.
6.7 million Americans aged 65 and above have Alzheimer’s dementia, with the syndrome being responsible for 121,499 deaths in 2019.
From countries famed for their tranquility to those marked by their endearing spirit, these are the countries with the highest rates of dementia.
1. Finland
Finland is best known for holding the title of the world’s happiest country for seven consecutive years by the UN Happiness Report.
But Finland also has the highest mortality rate in the world due to dementia, with 54.65 deaths per 100,000 people.
A large part of these deaths can be attributed to Finland’s climate, which acts as a breeding ground for neurotoxic mycotoxin-producing mold, which is known to cause dementia.
2. United Kingdom
In 2022, dementia was the leading cause of death in the UK, responsible for 1 in 10 deaths throughout the country. This gives England the second highest mortality rate from dementia in the world, with 42.70 deaths per 100,000 people.
Most of the country’s dementia cases stem from its aging population, with predictions estimating there will be 1.6 million people with the condition in 2050.
3. Slovakia
There are currently 47 million people living with dementia in the world; this figure is projected to balloon to 131 million by 2050.
The eastern European nation of Slovakia is no exception to this trend, with 38.15 deaths per 100,000 people, making it the country with the third highest mortality rate due to dementia.
4. Albania
Scientists have yet to comprehend the cause of Alzheimer’s disease in people fully. There are suspicions that it may be due to a combination of age-related brain changes and genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
Albania has the fourth highest mortality rate from dementia, at 36.92 deaths per 100,000 people.
5. Iceland
The frostbitten vistas of Iceland are home to an increase in the number of diagnosed dementia cases, a trend that is mirrored throughout the world.
35.59 deaths per 100,000 people gives Iceland the fifth highest mortality rate in the world, courtesy of the neurological condition.
Females are worst affected by the pandemic, with women more at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than men.
6. Brunei
Brunei stands out as a modern-day oasis on the northern coast of Borneo in Southeast Asia.
The small island nation is home to one of the earth’s most extravagant monarchies, but it also has one of the highest dementia mortality rates: 33.87 deaths per 100,000 people from dementia in the kingdom.
7. Netherlands
The European continent is home to an aging population; over one-fifth of the EU population was 65 and above in 2020. Life expectancy has also increased to 81.3 years for someone born in 2019.
As age is a primary risk factor in dementia, European territories have some of the highest mortality rates from the syndrome; such is the case in the Netherlands, with 33.78 deaths per 100,000 people.
8. United States
Despite long-held beliefs, America isn’t the dementia capital of the world; it is instead the eighth in the world when it comes to mortality rates from dementia at 33.26 deaths per 100,000 people.
The prevalence of dementia cases is especially prominent amongst 65-year-olds and above at 6.7 million cases, with estimates projecting an increase to 12 million in 2040.
9. Ireland
Ireland has a high incidence of dementia mortalities, with 32.23 deaths per 100,000 people. This reflects the ever-increasing number of people living with dementia, a number that was at 55,000 in 2022 and one that’s expected to grow to 141,200 people by 2050.
Dementia was the fourth largest killer in the country in 2018, carrying with it an estimated cost of 1.69 billion Euros per annum.
10. Sweden
Even though scientists still don’t have any definitive answers on what causes dementia, strides in the field are being made that may one day lead to a cure.
One particular study that calls for attention links Alzheimer’s to prions, toxic proteins that destroy the brain in mad cow disease.
These developments may help reduce the dementia mortality rates in countries like Sweden, with 30.96 deaths per 100,000 people.
11. Denmark
With there yet to be a cure for the syndrome, preventing some of the risk factors that contribute to dementia, such as obesity and hypertension, has taken center stage in countries like Denmark, in their fight against Alzheimer’s.
This is as Denmark hopes to reduce its dementia mortality rate of 29.41 deaths per 100,000 people.
12. Norway
Norway has an exceptionally high dementia mortality rate at 28.94 deaths per 100,000 people, a trend that is reflected in the rest of the world.
Dementia was the third leading cause of death in Norway in 2021; even amongst other countries in Northern Europe, the prevalence of dementia is abnormally high.
13. Canada
Canada follows a trend of Western countries with high rates of dementia and dementia mortality rates at 27.87 deaths per 100,000 people.
Canada’s dementia rate is mainly attributed to the rapid rise of its aging population, which studies project will increase by 187 percent by 2050, placing a substantial economic and social strain on the country in the future.
14. Sri Lanka
Asia has been bucking the trend of dementia, which was previously overrepresented in Western countries.
Economic development and societal changes, alongside the rise of non-communicable diseases, have led to the increase of dementia cases in Asia.
Nothing exemplifies this more than Sri Lanka and its dementia mortality rate of 27.62 deaths per 100,000 people.
15. Kiribati
Kiribati is a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean with a population of 110,136. Despite its small size, the island ranks amongst the countries most affected by dementia, with 25.26 deaths per 100,000 people—a figure that almost encapsulates the country’s entire population.
16. New Zealand
Despite being home to a small population of just over 5 million people, when compared to other countries grappling with a dementia pandemic, New Zealand boasts a dementia mortality rate of 24.84 deaths per 100,000 people.
This higher prevalence of dementia cases in the country, when compared to global figures, has been zeroed down to three risk factors that are exceptionally high in the region— education, smoking, and air pollution.
17. Bahrain
As countries the world over grapple with the implications of an aging population, dementia and its cataclysmic effects on society are illuminated.
This is true for Bahrain, which harbors 24.32 deaths per 100,000 people, with research that forecasts dementia rates for 195 countries predicting a rise in cases in the country of 1,000 percent between now and 2050.
18. Mozambique
When compared to its continental cohorts in Europe and Asia, Africa ranks the lowest for overall dementia rates.
Mozambique stands as one of the few outliers to this trend, with a dementia mortality rate of 23.88 deaths per 100,000.
Although studies into dementia in Africa are far and few in between, it has been theorized that differences in diet, access to healthcare, and mortality are believed to be some of the reasons for the low dementia prevalence on the continent.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. A teacher for seven years, she has been committed to providing students with the best learning opportunities possible, both domestically and abroad. Dedicated to unlocking students' potential, Caitriona has taught English in several countries and continues to explore new cultures through her travels.