Background After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, Afghanistan experienced a tumultuous
period of democracy overshadowed by conflict, widespread insurgency, and an inflow of …

Background Progress has been made worldwide in reducing chronic undernutrition and
rates of linear growth stunting in children under 5 y of age, although rates still remain high in …

Background How long one lives, how many years of life are spent in good and poor health,
and how the population's state of health and leading causes of disability change over time all …

Background Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for death and disability, but its overall association
with health remains complex given the possible protective effects of moderate alcohol …

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to ravage health and economic metrics
globally, including progress in maternal and child nutrition. Although there has been focus on …

Background Detailed assessments of mortality patterns, particularly age-specific mortality,
represent a crucial input that enables health systems to target interventions to specific …

… Nadia Akseer and colleagues highlight the deficiencies and how to ensure progress …
Drs Bhutta, Arifeen and Nadia Akseer have undertaken Countdown country case studies in …

Background Global development goals increasingly rely on country-specific estimates for
benchmarking a nation's progress. To meet this need, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, …

Background The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD
2017) includes a comprehensive assessment of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with …

Background As mortality rates decline, life expectancy increases, and populations age, non-fatal
outcomes of diseases and injuries are becoming a larger component of the global …