15 Countries with the Highest Asthma Rates in the World

Asthma is a debilitating disease, and if you take a look at the list of countries with the highest asthma rates in the world, you will be absolutely appalled to know just how many people succumb to asthma.

If you are wondering where is asthma more common in the world? Then the answer would be, the disease is interestingly more prevalent in developed countries as compared to developing countries. However, due to better healthcare opportunities, the death toll is much less in developed countries. Unfortunately, asthma patients are not so fortunate in underprivileged countries, where the death toll is going up each year. Just take a look at the 11 Worst Countries for People with Asthma, and you will understand. So basically if we go by asthma rates by country, we would have to say that there are more asthma patients in developed countries than in developing or underdeveloped countries. One more interesting thing to note here is that, in developed countries,  people belonging to middle/lower class income groups seem to contract the disease, but in underdeveloped/developing countries the affluent classes are more prone to the diseases. No one is really sure why the results happen to be like this though. However, the most noteworthy theory is that consumption of genetically modified foods has something to do with triggering allergic reactions and thus the prevalence of asthma. In developed countries the middle/lower class consumers consume the highest amount of genetically modified food, and in developing or under developed countries the rich are more likely to consume genetically modified foods, but that is just a theory and it’s not been proven yet.

Asthma is more common in children, but it can occur much later in life in adulthood as well. In the United States, there are many states where there is an alarmingly high number of children afflicted by asthma. Take a look at 10 States with The Highest Childhood Asthma Rates in The U.S., if you want to know which states fall into this category. Asthma can be an extremely difficult disease to live with, as asthma patients find it very hard to breathe during an attack. An attack can be triggered by anything from simple pollen to dust particles or even just cold weather, so it can hit you anytime, anywhere. It is extremely important for a patient to identify what triggers their attack so that they can then avoid coming into contact with those elements to keep safe. If you are an asthma patient, then you will definitely like to know about the 11 Best Cities To Live For People With Asthma In The World, as it will make your life a little easier.

If you do not have asthma, then you cannot understand how it feels when an attack happens. Many say it is like trying to breathe while holding your nostrils shut with your fingers, just to give you an idea. For our research regarding this topic, as usual we tried to find the most recent and most relevant data we could muster. But unfortunately data only exists for the year 2014 and there is no updated information yet. So, if you are looking for things like asthma statistics worldwide 2016, prevalence of asthma 2016, or epidemiology of asthma 2016 those data sets do not exist as of now. So we had to take a look at The Global Asthma Report 2014 for our data. You can also download the full report here. Since this is 2017, getting our hands on the global asthma report 2016 or even global asthma report 2015, would have helped a lot, but that is still simply just not possible. The Asthma prevalence 2015 report was not available yet either. So, to sum it up, we had to make do with what we have as far as information out there. We also sought help from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma And Immunology as well.

We have ranked the countries that were unfortunate enough to make it into the list of countries with the highest asthma rates in the world by the number of deaths from asthma per 100,000 residents. The higher the number of deaths, the more a country is suffering from the negative impacts of this deadly disease. As we mentioned before, you can expect the list to mainly be populated with underprivileged countries. However, that does not mean that asthma is not a cause of concern in developed countries as well. As for the rankings, the higher the death rate, the higher we have placed a country.

Let’s get our list of countries with the highest asthma rates in the world on the way.

15. Zimbabwe

Death from asthma per 100,000: 16.81

16.81 deaths per hundred thousand residents may not seem like a huge number, but you have to remember that asthma is not a disease that commonly kills. Asthma basically renders someone unable to breathe, and if kept under control a person should be able to live out a full life without major and long-term effects. But in Zimbabwe, about 17 people died in 2014 from a disease that does not kill even at its terminal stage, unless something seriously wrong happens.

14. India

Death from asthma per 100,000: 17.16

We are continuing our list of countries with the highest asthma rates in the world with India where lives over a billion people. Unfortunately, Indian cities are some of the most polluted places on Earth. And pollution could make any health condition even worse, perhaps this is why there are so many asthma-related deaths in India.

13. Nepal

Death from asthma per 100,000: 18.99

Nepal is a neighboring country of India, however, Nepal is not as industrialized. The problem here stems from communication, and lack of proper medical care. These things combined and people’s general lack of awareness of the dangers of asthma resulted in about 19 people dying per 100,000 inhabitants in Nepal.

12. Timor-Leste 

Death from asthma per 100,000: 19.24

Timor-Leste or East Timor is a Southeast Asian country, which recently achieved independence in 2002. Like with any young independent nation, there are some teething issues in East Timor, and it can be assumed in time East Timor will certainly establish itself as a capable nation and tragedies such as a high number of deaths from asthma will be a thing of the past.

11. Morocco

Death from asthma per 100,000: 19.42

At number 11 on our list of countries with the highest asthma rates in the world we have Morocco, a North African country. However, Morocco enjoys a much stronger economy than many of its neighbors, and the country is also politically stable. However, the death of about 20 people per hundred thousand inhabitants from asthma says that the country has a long way to go in terms of proper healthcare and facilities.

10. Swaziland

Death from asthma per 100,000: 20.29

At number 10, we again have an African country. However, Swaziland is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. One thing to note about Swaziland is that it is a monarchy and not a democratic country, which might have a little bit of influence as to why over 20 people die per 100,000 from a disease like Asthma. There are reports of widespread mismanagement, and malpractice by the authorities in the country.

9. Philippines 

Death from asthma per 100,000: 21.20

The Philippines is a developing country in Southeast Asia, and the country has seen a fair share of political turmoil and economic disasters in the past. However, strong reforms are on the way and the general quality of life for people in the Philippines is improving. However, the death toll from Asthma was still pretty high in 2014, and thus the country made it into our list of countries with the highest asthma rates in the world.

8. Fiji

Death from asthma per 100,000: 21.85

Almost 22 people out of a hundred thousand inhabitants died of asthma in Fiji in 2014. Which may not seem like a massive number but for comparison, 0.88 people died of asthma per hundred thousand inhabitants in the United States in the same year.

7. Lesotho

Death from asthma per 100,000: 23.08

We are halfway through the list of countries with the highest asthma rates in the world, and at number seven we have Lesotho. In 2014, about 23 people died of asthma for every hundred thousand people in the country, which is too alarming of a prospect to be ignored.

6. Mali

Death from asthma per 100,000: 25.39

Africa is the least developed continent in the world, and this is why lists like this are always populated with African countries. Mali is a West African country, and as you can imagine, healthcare is not that great in the country. A large chunk of the population lives in rural areas where medical aid is virtually non-existent.

5. Laos

Death from asthma per 100,000: 25.90

Next on our list of countries with the highest asthma rates in the world is Laos is a Southeast Asian country, which is not that developed compared to other countries in the region. Another thing that contributes to the death toll from asthma, is the fact that the country is quite difficult to traverse due to its mountainous terrain and crisscrossing rivers through the lands. As you can imagine, it may not always be easy to get to a hospital where you can receive medical attention.

4. Liberia

Death from asthma per 100,000: 29.98

At number four, we again have another African country. Liberia is a West African country and it is known to some degree as a tourist destination. However, Liberia does suffer from all sorts of problems due to being underdeveloped as a country, and the country’s healthcare infrastructure is in shambles — thus the high death toll from asthma and other diseases.

3. Solomon Islands

Death from asthma per 100,000: 33.11

The Solomon Islands are an Island nation spanning thousands of Islands. The weather there might be very good, but for those who are suffering from ailments, reaching out to a healthcare facility and getting help from other places is no simple task. Perhaps this is the reason why so many people died because of Asthma and many other diseases that are not fatal, if treated in the early stages.

2. Myanmar

Death from asthma per 100,000: 34.30

Myanmar has been under a military dictator for quite a long time, and although the country recently turned into a democracy, the western world is still rather skeptical about the country’s standing as a democratic nation. On top of that, there is a civil unrest going on in the Rakhine State between the Rohingya and the Burmese. Naturally, quality healthcare is not really a top priority for Myanmar right now.

1. New Guinea

Death from asthma per 100,000: 46.56

Not only is New Guinea at the very top of the list because of a high death toll due to asthma, but an alarming portion of New Guinea’s population is afflicted with this disease as well. Almost 50 people for every 100,000 inhabitants died from asthma in New Guinea in 2014, which is an unmatched figure by any country in any previous year. These results look really grim for people afflicted with Asthma in New Guinea.

This is it for our list of the countries with the highest asthma rates in the world, and we hope it’s opened your eyes to the importance of access to quality healthcare, everywhere.