title: The worldwide costs of dementia 2015 and comparisons with 2010.
abstract: In 2010, Alzheimer's Disease International presented estimates of the global cost of illness (COI) of dementia. Since then, new studies have been conducted, and the number of people with dementia has increased. Here, we present an update of the global cost estimates.
  
  
  
  This is a societal, prevalence-based global COI study.
  
  
  
  The worldwide costs of dementia were estimated at United States (US) $818 billion in 2015, an increase of 35% since 2010; 86% of the costs occur in high-income countries. Costs of informal care and the direct costs of social care still contribute similar proportions of total costs, whereas the costs in the medical sector are much lower. The threshold of US $1 trillion will be crossed by 2018.
  
  
  
  Worldwide costs of dementia are enormous and still inequitably distributed. The increase in costs arises from increases in numbers of people with dementia and in increases in per person costs.
authors: Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Research and Development, Uppsala University/County Council of Gävleborg, Gävle, Sweden. Electronic address: Anders.Wimo@ki.se.
authors: Anders
authors: A
authors: Wimo
authors: King's College London, The Global Observatory for Ageing and Dementia Care, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Health Service and Population Research Department, London, UK.
authors: Maëlenn
authors: M
authors: Guerchet
authors: King's College London, The Global Observatory for Ageing and Dementia Care, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Health Service and Population Research Department, London, UK.
authors: Gemma-Claire
authors: GC
authors: Ali
authors: REACH: The Centre for Research in Ageing and Cognitive Health, College of Life and Environment Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
authors: Yu-Tzu
authors: YT
authors: Wu
authors: King's College London, The Global Observatory for Ageing and Dementia Care, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Health Service and Population Research Department, London, UK.
authors: A Matthew
authors: AM
authors: Prina
authors: Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Bengt
authors: B
authors: Winblad
authors: Division of Neurogeriatrics, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Linus
authors: L
authors: Jönsson
authors: Institute of Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors: Zhaorui
authors: Z
authors: Liu
authors: King's College London, The Global Observatory for Ageing and Dementia Care, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Health Service and Population Research Department, London, UK.
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Prince
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Cost; Costs of illness; Dementia; Economics