Mapping non-communicable disease risks

Non communicable diseases – in particular cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory illness and diabetes – have traditionally been seen as diseases of the industrial world.

But this is no longer the case. The latest estimates from the World Health Organisation suggest 36m of the 57m deaths globally in 2008 were caused by NCDs, with the vast majority in developing countries.

On Monday, the United Nations general assembly convened to discuss the problem for the first time.

This interactive graphic explores the prevalence of some of the risk factors behind the diseases – such as tobacco use, lack of physical activity and being overweight – on a country by country basis, as well as mapping the percentage of deaths caused by NCDs.