AEIF Newsletter 2: Global Demographics

December 15th, 2021


Alzheimer’s Disease has a significantly higher prevalence in selected populations and locations. With respect to the latter, the highest occurrence per capita is reported in Finland and lowest in Singapore.1  Interestingly, the Philippines have a markedly low rate of AD as well, which does not correlate with their aging population. These statistics add to the complexity of the mysterious and confounding etiology of this disease.1


Over the past 14 years, the number of reported global cases has doubled to at least 50 million. In 30 years, the burden of the disease is expected to triple: afflicting 150 million globally. In 2006, it was estimated that $156 billion was spent annually to care for dementia patients worldwide. Today, the cost is over $250 billion.


Remarkably, this epidemic is of minimal prevalence in countries including Singapore, Kyrgyzstan and The Philippines, while soaring to exponential heights in Northwestern Europe, Canada and the United States. Curiously, the U.S. makes up 4.4% of the global population, but accounts for 10% of worldwide diagnosed cases of AD.1 The reason for this jarring disparity will be imperative in our understanding and investigation of AD etiology. The explanation for this discrepancy may be related to lack of diagnosis. However, new research suggests that exposure to toxins and vectors poses a surprisingly dramatic impact on the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. 


  1. Brayne, C.; Brodaty, H., Fratiglioni, L., Ganguli, M., Hasegawa, K., Hendrie, H., Huang, Y., Jorm, A., Mathers, C., Menezes, PR, Rimmer, E.; Scazufca, M. “Global Prevalence of Dementia: a Delphi Consensus Study”. The Lancet. Ferry Cp., Prince M., Alzheimer’s Disease International. December 17, 2005.