Worldwide scale of dementia

This report illustrates the widespread and increasing prevalence of dementia. Dementia is a devastating condition, which not only affects the person but the lives of everyone around them.

Dementia is becoming one of the world's biggest health problems and it is vital that the British government and those in other nations act now. In order to act and plan for the future it is essential that we have global estimates of how the number of people with dementia is going to change across countries with different patterns of ageing. This is a difficult task as there is currently not enough information globally about dementia.

However, given the available evidence, this study is an excellent attempt to predict the future patterns of dementia. It illustrates the enormous scale of the problem across the world and should enable governments to begin strategic planning for the future.

We must make sure that sufficient funding and resources are available so that people with dementia and their carers get the care and support they need. Much more needs to be done to reduce the toll of dementia, and internationally it is vital we continue our search for a cure. Dementia must be taken seriously as a worldwide health problem.

Neil Hunt
Chief executive