World Health Organization
Reporting on the world’s biggest killers: a journalist’s guide to covering noncommunicable diseases
Guide
08 Oct 2025
24 Oct 2022
Noncommunicable diseases cause nearly three quarters of deaths in the world. There are four major NCDs: cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease. Their drivers are social, environment, commercial and genetic, and their presence is global.
This report highlights the true scale of the threat posed by NCDs and their risk factors. It also sheds light on what can be done about them. The data paint a clear picture. The problem is that the world isn’t looking at it.