Here we report the global prevalence, mortality, and overall burden of IBD, based on data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017.

We modeled mortality due to IBD using a standard Cause of Death Ensemble model including data mainly from vital registrations. To estimate the non-fatal burden, we used data presented in primary studies, hospital discharges, and claims data from the United States. Mortality, prevalence, years of life lost (YLLs) due to premature death, years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were estimated. .

Globally, there were 6·8 million cases of IBD in 2017 compared to 3·7 million in 1990. The age-standardised prevalence (ASPR) increased from 79·5 per 100 000 (75·9–83·5) in 1990 to 84·3 per 100 000 (79·2–89·9) in 2017. The total number of deaths increased from 23 126 in 1990 to 38 628 in 2017, while the age-standardised death rate (ASDR) decreased from 0·61 per 100 000 (0·55–0·69) in 1990 to 0·51 per 100 000 (0·42–0·54) in 2017. IBD-related deaths comprised 0·07% (0.06–0.07) of total all-cause deaths in 2017. IBD was the fourth leading cause of YLDs among digestive diseases in 2017. The highest ASPR in 2017 occurred in high-income North America (422·0 per 100 000). Locations with high Socio-demographic Index had the highest ASPR, while low SDI regions had the lowest rates, with values that were much higher and lower than global prevalence rates, respectively. At the national level, USA had the highest prevalence rate (464·4 per 100 000 [95% UI 438–490]), followed by the UK (449·6 per 100 000 [420–481]). .

The prevalence of IBD increased substantially in many regions from 1990 to 2017, which may impose a substantial social and economic burden in the coming years.