The Global Macroeconomic Burden of Neurological Disorders

Background: Existing studies have focused on neurological disorders’ morbidity and mortality, yet their economic consequences remain unquantified. We estimated the macroeconomic impact of neurological disorders and subcategories at the global, super-regional, and national levels in 2019 and 2021, and described sex and age distribution. Methods: We obtained mortality and morbidity data, reflecting long-run and short-run disease burden respectively, from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease 2021 study. Purchasing power parity (PPP) -adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) data were sourced from the World Bank. Economic burden was estimated using the value of lost welfare (VLW) framework, which rests on the value of a statistical life (VSL) and covers non-market losses. All monetary values are expressed in 2021 international dollars adjusted for PPP. Results: In 2021, the global VLW of neurological disorders was 10, 710. 51 billion, equal to 7. 23% of global gross domestic product (GDP), and the short-run economic burden predominates over the long-run component. By subcategories, headache disorders accounted for 44. 7%, and Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias for 35. 7%. From 2019 to 2021, global VLW changed little, while VLW/GDP (%) declined slightly due to rising nominal GDP. Conclusions: Neurological disorders impose substantial economic burden globally, particularly in High-income super-region and older populations. Policy emphasis should reflect regional burden profiles. High-income settings prioritize earlier dementia detection, life-course risk-factor control, and caregiver support. , while low- and middle-income settings scale primary-care chronic management and effective acute headache therapies.