Global incidence and prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of liver disease worldwide. The estimated global incidence of NAFLD is 47 cases per 1,000 population and is higher among males than females. The estimated global prevalence of NAFLD among adults is 32% and is higher among males (40%) compared to females (26%). The global prevalence of NAFLD has increased over time, from 26% in studies from 2005 or earlier to 38% in studies from 2016 or beyond. The prevalence of NAFLD varies substantially by world region, contributed by differing rates of obesity, and genetic and socioeconomic factors. The prevalence of NAFLD exceeds 40% in the Americas and South-East Asia. The prevalence of NAFLD is projected to increase significantly in multiple world regions by 2030 if current trends are left unchecked. In this review, we discuss trends in the global incidence and prevalence of NAFLD and discuss future projections.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Incidence; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; Prevalence.

Figure 1.

Estimated incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Data for China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea was obtained from Li et al. [10] and Riazi et al. [3]. Data for Israel was obtained from Riazi et al. [3] and Younossi et al. [9]. NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Figure 2.

Estimated prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Data for Iran, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Europe (Turkey, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain), North America (USA), and Egypt was obtained from Riazi et al. [3]. Data for South America was obtained from Le et al. [12]. Data for South Asia (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) was obtained from Li et al. [10]. Data for Japan was obtained from Li et al. [10] and Riazi et al. [3]. Data for Sudan was obtained from Younossi et al. [9]. Data for Australia was obtained from population-based studies by Farrell et al. [55] and Roberts et al. [54].

Figure 3.

Estimated projections for the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Data was obtained from Estes et al. [58,59,61]. Data for Saudi Arabia was obtained from Alswat et al. [60], data for Canada was obtained from Swain et al. [62], and data for Australia was obtained from Adams et al. [63].