Chronic Respiratory Diseases in the 2023‐Defined WHO Western Pacific Region: Burden and Trends From GBD 2023

ABSTRACT Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) remain a major source of mortality and disability worldwide, yet current evidence on their long‐term burden in the WHO Western Pacific Region (WPR) is limited. This study assessed temporal trends, demographic disparities, subtype composition, and major modifiable risk factors for CRDs from 1990 to 2023 in the WPR membership fixed at the study endpoint (WPR‐37). Estimates were extracted from the IHME GBD 2023 results tool for the aggregate location “Western Pacific Region” (location ID 44568), comprising 37 WHO Member States and areas as of 31 December 2023; Indonesia was excluded. We analyzed incidence, prevalence, deaths, and disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs), reporting absolute numbers and age‐standardized rates (ASRs). Trends were quantified using estimated annual percentage change (EAPC). Attributable deaths and DALYs were assessed for tobacco smoking, air pollution, and occupational exposure. In 2023, CRDs in WPR‐37 accounted for 22.0 million incident cases, 155.9 million prevalent cases, 1.4 million deaths, and 29.9 million DALYs. Compared with 1990, absolute numbers increased across all indicators, whereas ASRs were stable or declined. Age‐standardized incidence and prevalence rates decreased modestly, whereas age‐standardized mortality and DALY rates declined more markedly, with EAPCs of −2.67% (95% confidence interval [CI]: −3.02 to −2.33) and −2.31% (95% CI: −2.56 to −2.05), respectively. The burden increased sharply with age, remained higher in males, and was dominated by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, accounting for 75.3% of DALYs. Tobacco smoking and air pollution were the leading selected modifiable contributors, whereas six‐country comparisons showed marked regional heterogeneity. Although age‐standardized mortality and DALY rates declined substantially, the absolute burden continued to rise, mainly reflecting population growth and aging. The burden remained concentrated in older adults, males, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These estimates describe WPR‐37 rather than the current 38‐member WPR.