Featured ArticleThe worldwide costs of dementia 2015 and comparisons with 2010

- The worldwide costs of dementia were estimated at United States (US) $818 billion in 2015.
- This estimated worldwide costs represent an increase of 35% since 2010.
- Eighty-six percent 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.

IntroductionIn 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.MethodsThis is a societal, prevalence-based global COI study.ResultsThe 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.DiscussionWorldwide 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.