Lancet experts rank the top fifteen health threats facing humanity by 2100
A Lancet-commissioned study identified fifteen major risks to human health and prosperity by the end of the century.
A commission of experts assembled by The Lancet completed a rigorous modelling exercise to assess the most serious health challenges humanity will face by 2100. The analysis highlighted fifteen catastrophic threats, placing the combination of obesity, unhealthy eating habits and physical inactivity at the top of the list. Subsequent risks include inadequate education, widening income gaps, and two scenarios capable of causing mass extinction: hostile artificial intelligence applications and nuclear war leading to famine.
Additional concerns encompass poor mental health, unhealthy ageing, conventional armed conflicts, smoking, high blood pressure, antibiotic resistance, natural pandemics, excessive alcohol consumption, climate change, fine-particle air pollution, the collapse of public health aid, and child malnutrition. The findings underscore the intertwined nature of social, environmental and technological factors in shaping future health outcomes.
Why it matters
Understanding these projected threats helps policymakers prioritize actions to safeguard global health and stability.
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