Global, Regional, and National Burden of Low Back Pain, 1990-2020, Its Attributable Risk Factors, and Projections to 2050: A Systematic Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Global, Regional, and National Burden of Low Back Pain, 1990-2020, Its Attributable Risk Factors, and Projections to 2050: A Systematic Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
This systematic analysis, part of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, provides the most recent and comprehensive picture of low back pain worldwide, covering 204 countries from 1990 to 2020 and projecting the scale of the problem forward to 2050.
What was studied?
The analysis tracked changes in low back pain prevalence and disability over three decades, and identified how much of the burden is attributable to modifiable risk factors such as occupational exposure, smoking and high body weight.
What did they find?
In 2020, an estimated 619 million people worldwide were living with low back pain, still the leading global cause of disability. Around 39 percent of the burden was linked to modifiable factors, with workplace ergonomics alone responsible for roughly 22 percent, and cases projected to reach 843 million by 2050.
Why it matters
This confirms low back pain remains the world's leading cause of disability, but shows a substantial share of its burden, nearly 40 percent, comes from modifiable factors, meaning genuine prevention is possible.
Why we included it
It illustrates why prevention deserves equal weight alongside treatment: when a large share of a condition's burden traces to changeable factors like ergonomics and lifestyle, addressing those factors is itself a form of care.
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What was studied?
The analysis tracked changes in low back pain prevalence and disability over three decades, and identified how much of the burden is attributable to modifiable risk factors such as occupational exposure, smoking and high body weight.
What did they find?
In 2020, an estimated 619 million people worldwide were living with low back pain, still the leading global cause of disability. Around 39 percent of the burden was linked to modifiable factors, with workplace ergonomics alone responsible for roughly 22 percent, and cases projected to reach 843 million by 2050.
Why it matters
This confirms low back pain remains the world's leading cause of disability, but shows a substantial share of its burden, nearly 40 percent, comes from modifiable factors, meaning genuine prevention is possible.
Why we included it
It illustrates why prevention deserves equal weight alongside treatment: when a large share of a condition's burden traces to changeable factors like ergonomics and lifestyle, addressing those factors is itself a form of care.