Number of people visually impaired and corresponding percentage of the global impairment by WHO Region and country, 2010
Region
Population
Blindness (mill, %)
Low Vision (mill, %)
Visual Impairment (mill, %)
World
6737.5 (100)
39.365 (100)
246.024 (100)
285.389 (100)
India
1181.4 (17.5)
8.075 (20.5)
54.544 (22.2)
62.619 (21.9)
Afr
804.9 (11.9)
5.888 (15)
20.407 (8.3)
26.295 (9.2)
Amr
915.4 (13.6)
3.211(8)
23.401 (9.5)
26.612 (9.3)
Emr
580.2 (8.6)
4.918 (12.5)
18.581 (7.6)
23.499 (8.2)
Eur
889.2 (13.2)
2.713 (7)
25.502 (10.4)
28.215 (9.9)
Sear (India excluded)
579.1 (8.6)
3.974 (10.1)
23.938 (9.7)
27.913 (9.8)
Wpr (China excluded)
442.3 (6.6)
2.338 (6)
12.386 (5)
14.724 (5.2)
China
1344.9 (20)
8.248 (20.9)
67.264 (27.3)
75.512 (26.5)
World Health Organization. GLOBAL DATA ON VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS 2010 – Pascolini [Internet]. World Health Organization; 2012 [cited 2016 Apr 7]. Available from: http://www.iapb.org/sites/iapb.org/files/GLOBALDATAFINALforweb.pdf
Number of people visually impaired and corresponding percentage of the global impairment byAge, 2010
Age Group
Population
Blindness (mill)
Low Vision (mill)
Visual Impairment (mill)
0-14
1,848.50
1.421
17.518
18.939
15-49
3548.2
5.784
74.463
80.248
50 and older
1,340.80
32.16
154.043
186.2
Total
6,737.50
39.37
246.02
285.39
% of people visually impaired and corresponding percentage of the global impairment byAge, 2010
Age Group
Population
Blindness (mill)
Low Vision (mill)
Visual Impairment (mill)
0-14
27%
4%
7%
7%
15-49
53%
15%
30%
28%
50 and older
20%
82%
63%
65%
Total
100%
100%
100%
100%
GBD 2013
Bourne et al. Lancet Glob Health 2013;1: e339–49
Cause
Blindness
Moderate – Severe Visual Impairment
Asia, south
Worldwide
Asia, south
Worldwide
1990
2010
1990
2010
1990
2010
1990
2010
Cataract
47·7%
41·7%
38·6%
33·4%
26·7%
21·4%
25·6%
18·4%
Uncorrected refractive error
35·4%
36·0%
19·9%
20·9%
63·9%
65·4%
51·1%
52·9%
Macular degeneration
1·4%
2·6%
4·9%
6·6%
0·45%
1·0%
1·9%
3·1%
Glaucoma
2·4%
4·7%
4·4%
6·6%
0·66%
1·6%
1·2%
2·2%
Diabetic retinopathy
1·9%
2·8%
2·1%
2·6%
1·2%
2·1%
1·3%
1·9%
Trachoma
0·25%
0·15%
2·8%
1·4%
0·13%
0·08%
1·3%
0·71%
Other causes/ unidentified
10·9%
12·1%
27·4%
28·6%
7·0%
8·6%
17·6%
20·8%
Lancet 2017: Bourne et al and Flaxman et al papers – VLEG for year 2015
Key Results
Reported on Crude prevalence in all ages, age-standardied prevalence in 50+ population
Blind: 36 million (0.49% crude prevalence )
31 million (86%) aged 50+yrs
56% female
11.7 million in south Asia
MSVI: 216.6 Million (2.95% crude prevalence)
172.3 million (80%) aged 50+yrs
55% female
61.2 million in south Asia
Mild VI: 188.5 million (2.57% crude prevalence)
140.3 million (74%) age 50+
54% Female
Functional Prebyopia: 1094 million (35.6% crude prevalence) aged 35+ years
Crude Prevalence of blindness and moderate and severe vision impairment (%) in Year 2015
Million
Blind (millions)
MSVI (millions)
EVI/Mild VI (Millions)
Men
0–49 years
2.5
21.7
23.6
50–69 years
5.7
41.6
39.7
≥70 years
7.7
34.5
23.9
All Ages
15.9
97.8
87.1
Women
0–49 years
2.6
22.7
24.6
50–69 years
6.5
47.5
44.4
≥70 years
11.1
48.7
32.5
All Ages
20.1
118.9
101.4
Both Sex
All Ages
36.0
216.6
188.6
Million and Crude Prevalence
Blind
MSVI
Mild VI
Men
0–49 years
2.46 (0.08)
21.66 (0.74)
23.61 (0.81)
50–69 years
5.69 (0.93)
41.57 (6.78)
39.65 (6.46)
≥70 years
7.72 (4.55)
34.53 (20.33)
23.85 (14.05)
Women
0–49 years
2.56 (0.09)
22.68 (0.82)
24.64 (0.89)
50–69 years
6.52 (1.03)
47.46 (7.48)
44.35 (6.99)
≥70 years
11.06 (4.97)
48.71 (21.87)
32.45 (14.57)
Age Standardized Prevalence
World
India
Blind
MSVI
Blind
MSVI
All Ages
Male
0.46 (0.17 – 0.84)
2.79 (1.29 – 4.61)
0.88 (0.32 – 1.60)
4.41 (2.23 – 7.00)
Female
0.49 (0.17 – 0.90)
2.99 (1.33 – 4.99)
0.97 (0.33 – 1.80)
4.85 (2.38 – 7.73)
Both Sexes
0.48 (0.17 – 0.87)
2.90 (1.31 – 4.80)
0.93 (0.32 – 1.70)
4.63 (2.31 – 7.37)
50+ yr Age Group
Male
1.82 (0.67 – 3.28)
10.12 (4.85 – 16.45)
3.58 (1.30 – 6.50)
16.33 (8.59 – 25.45)
Female
1.91 (0.68 – 3.49)
10.79 (5.00 – 17.74)
3.94 (1.36 – 7.31)
17.88 (9.17 – 27.88)
Both Sexes
1.87 (0.67 – 3.39)
10.47 (4.93 – 17.13)
3.77 (1.33 – 6.92)
17.12 (8.89 – 26.69)
Percentage of Blindness & MSVI by cause in 50+ Age Group in South Asia and globally in 2015
50+ Age Group
BLINDNESS in 50+
World, Blindness, 50+ yrs
South Asia, Blindness, 50+ yrs
Uncorrected refractive error
20.28%
35.54%
Cataract
35.15%
38.79%
Glaucoma
8.49%
5.93%
Age-related macular degeneration
5.93%
3.10%
Diabetic retinopathy
1.06%
0.10%
Corneal opacity
3.21%
3.91%
Trachoma
0.97%
0.20%
Other
24.92%
12.42%
MSVI in 50+
World, MSVI, 50+ yrs
South Asia, MSVI, 50+ yrs
Uncorrected refractive error
50.80%
52.34%
Cataract
26.62%
25.15%
Glaucoma
2.14%
2.05%
Age-related macular degeneration
5.97%
4.38%
Diabetic retinopathy
1.03%
1.30%
Corneal opacity
1.75%
1.14%
Trachoma
1.99%
0.64%
Other
9.71%
13.00%
Percentage of Blindness & MSVI by cause in All Age Groups in 2015 (Flaxman 2017)
Blindness in All Ages
World, Blindness, all ages
South Asia, Blindness, all ages
Uncorrected refractive error
20.6%
36.8%
Cataract
34.5%
35.2%
Glaucoma
8.3%
5.7%
Age-related macular degeneration
5.6%
2.4%
Diabetic retinopathy
1.1%
0.2%
Corneal opacity
3.5%
2.6%
Trachoma
1.0%
0.0%
Other
25.5%
16.7%
MSVI in All Ages
World, MSVI, all ages
South Asia, MSVI, all ages
Uncorrected refractive error
53.7%
67.9%
Cataract
24.1%
22.4%
Glaucoma
1.9%
1.1%
Age-related macular degeneration
4.0%
1.3%
Diabetic retinopathy
1.3%
0.2%
Corneal opacity
1.3%
0.9%
Trachoma
0.6%
0.0%
Other
13.2%
7.2%
Contribution of each cause to blindness among adults aged 50 years and older in 2015
2015
Uncorrected refractive error
Cataract
Glaucoma
Age-related macular degeneration
Diabetic retinopathy
Corneal opacity
Trachoma
Other
High-income Asia Pacific
13.1%
20.3%
13.5%
16.7%
3.9%
2.4%
0.0%
30.1%
Central Asia
12.9%
25.9%
14.2%
14.0%
3.6%
3.6%
0.0%
25.9%
East Asia
12.9%
43.6%
7.1%
5.3%
0.5%
4.3%
1.8%
24.6%
South Asia
36.4%
36.6%
5.8%
2.4%
0.2%
2.4%
0.0%
16.1%
Southeast Asia
12.6%
45.0%
7.0%
5.2%
0.6%
4.4%
0.1%
25.1%
Australasia
13.1%
19.7%
13.5%
16.5%
4.5%
2.4%
0.0%
30.4%
Caribbean
12.6%
25.7%
9.6%
5.6%
0.8%
1.7%
0.0%
44.0%
Central Europe
13.0%
25.4%
14.1%
15.9%
3.1%
3.6%
0.0%
24.9%
Eastern Europe
13.0%
20.9%
14.3%
19.5%
4.9%
3.4%
0.0%
23.9%
Western Europe
13.1%
21.4%
13.5%
15.4%
3.3%
2.4%
0.0%
30.8%
Andean Latin America
12.6%
27.5%
9.4%
3.8%
0.4%
1.6%
0.0%
44.7%
Central Latin America
12.7%
24.0%
10.0%
6.2%
1.0%
1.6%
0.0%
44.6%
Southern Latin America
13.0%
21.7%
13.6%
14.3%
3.5%
2.4%
0.0%
31.5%
Tropical Latin America
12.9%
21.9%
10.5%
7.4%
1.3%
1.5%
0.0%
44.5%
North Africa and Middle East
12.3%
28.1%
6.9%
3.2%
1.4%
4.5%
2.6%
41.0%
High-income North America
13.1%
20.1%
13.5%
15.9%
4.3%
2.4%
0.0%
30.8%
Oceania
12.6%
47.3%
6.7%
3.1%
0.3%
4.2%
0.0%
25.8%
Central sub-Saharan Africa
12.7%
43.6%
14.1%
5.2%
0.5%
4.0%
0.3%
19.6%
East sub-Saharan Africa
12.2%
44.7%
11.7%
3.2%
0.2%
3.8%
7.0%
17.3%
Southern sub-Saharan Africa
12.4%
35.2%
15.5%
11.8%
1.6%
4.1%
0.5%
19.1%
West sub-Saharan Africa
12.4%
43.6%
13.3%
4.0%
0.4%
3.9%
3.4%
19.2%
World
20.3%
35.2%
8.5%
5.9%
1.1%
3.2%
1.0%
24.9%
Contribution of each cause to MSVI among adults aged 50 years and older in 2015
2015
Uncorrected refractive error
Cataract
Glaucoma
Age-related macular degeneration
Diabetic retinopathy
Corneal opacity
Trachoma
Other
High-income Asia Pacific
49.4%
14.7%
3.6%
11.6%
4.1%
0.8%
0.0%
15.9%
Central Asia
48.3%
18.1%
4.1%
10.1%
4.1%
1.4%
0.0%
14.1%
East Asia
47.1%
32.5%
1.6%
3.4%
0.6%
1.5%
1.3%
12.0%
South Asia
66.4%
23.6%
1.1%
1.3%
0.2%
0.7%
0.0%
6.7%
Southeast Asia
46.1%
34.0%
1.6%
3.5%
0.7%
1.6%
0.1%
12.5%
Australasia
49.3%
14.1%
3.6%
11.4%
4.7%
0.8%
0.0%
16.2%
Caribbean
47.9%
18.1%
2.3%
3.8%
0.9%
0.5%
0.0%
26.6%
Central Europe
49.4%
18.2%
4.0%
10.9%
3.1%
1.4%
0.0%
13.1%
Eastern Europe
48.5%
14.8%
4.1%
13.4%
5.1%
1.3%
0.0%
12.7%
Western Europe
49.6%
15.5%
3.6%
10.7%
3.5%
0.8%
0.0%
16.4%
Andean Latin America
46.1%
20.2%
2.2%
2.4%
0.4%
0.5%
0.0%
28.1%
Central Latin America
47.9%
17.0%
2.3%
4.0%
1.0%
0.5%
0.0%
27.2%
Southern Latin America
48.2%
16.0%
3.7%
10.1%
3.9%
0.8%
0.0%
17.3%
Tropical Latin America
49.3%
15.3%
2.4%
4.7%
1.4%
0.5%
0.0%
26.5%
North Africa and Middle East
44.6%
21.4%
1.6%
2.2%
1.6%
1.7%
1.9%
25.1%
High-income North America
49.5%
14.4%
3.6%
10.9%
4.6%
0.8%
0.0%
16.3%
Oceania
47.8%
34.6%
1.4%
2.1%
0.3%
1.6%
0.0%
12.3%
Central sub-Saharan Africa
46.5%
34.4%
3.6%
3.4%
0.5%
1.6%
0.2%
9.8%
East sub-Saharan Africa
46.8%
32.4%
2.9%
2.4%
0.3%
1.4%
5.8%
8.2%
Southern sub-Saharan Africa
48.1%
26.9%
4.1%
8.0%
1.8%
1.5%
0.3%
9.3%
West sub-Saharan Africa
46.4%
34.1%
3.3%
2.5%
0.4%
1.5%
2.5%
9.4%
World
52.3%
25.2%
2.1%
4.4%
1.3%
1.1%
0.6%
13.0%
GBD 2020
Bourne et al 2022
Key Results
Reported on Crude prevalence in all ages, age-standardied prevalence in 50+ population in 2020
Blind: 43.3 million (0.55% crude prevalence, 0.525 % age Std Prevalence )
33.6 million / 78% in 50+yr aged population
55% female
11.9 million in south Asia, 0.895% Age Std Prevalence
MSVI: 295 Million (3.74% crude prevalence, 3.58% Age Std Prevalence )
206 million / 70% in 50+yr aged population
55% female
96.2 million in south Asia, 6.44% Age Std prevalence
260 million MVI, 34.8 million SVI
Mild VI: 258 million (3.27% crude prevalence, 3.2% Age Std Prevalence)
143 million / 55% in 50+yr aged population
55% Female
60.1 million in south Asia, 3.83% Age Std prevalence
Uncorrected Prebyopia: 510 million (6.46% crude prevalence 5.97% Age Std prevalence)
419 million / 82.2% in 50+yr aged population
Crude prevalence 22.1% in 50+ population
55% Female
167 million in south Asia, 11.0% Age Std prevalence
