[Editorial] Health progress in a post-COVID-19 world

00:00 - 12 Oct 2025

The COVID-19 pandemic upended global mortality and morbidity. COVID-19 was ranked as the number one age-standardised cause of death globally in 2021 but by 2023 had dropped to the 20th cause of death among all leading global causes, replaced by ischaemic heart disease and stroke as the two leading causes of death. During the COVID-19 pandemic, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to infectious, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases all increased, but have since returned to pre-pandemic levels.