Prevalence and Economic Burden of Dementia in The Arab World

Background: In 2021 an estimated 55 million people were living with dementia globally, and this number is predicted to increase to 78 million by the end of this decade. As an irreversible, progressive condition, dementia poses a serious economic challenge to health systems worldwide. There is also an indirect economic burden on the informal carers and families looking after individuals living with dementia. Due to the scarcity of updated estimates about the cost of dementia in the Arab world, this article aims to calculate this economic burden for the year 2020. Methods: Using the data relevant to the Arab countries, we estimated the number of individuals above 50 living with dementia in Arab countries. We calculated the direct cost of dementia, considering the cost per individual with dementia for the resources used to treat dementia related to the Gross Domestic Product per capita. We also calculated the indirect cost of dementia, defined as the cost of using the caregiver’s time. Results: The total direct cost of dementia in the region was estimated at $16,462.5 million for those over 50 and $15,463.8 million for those over 60. In the calculations for indirect cost, we considered the best-case scenario (1.6 hours per day of caregiver support with activities of daily living) and the worst-case scenario (3.7 hours per day). For those above the age of 50, the indirect cost was $2,699.2 million for the best-case scenario and $6,241.9 million for the worst-case scenario. For those above the age of 60, the indirect cost was $2,502.1 million for the best-case scenario and $5,786.0 million for the worst-case scenario. Conclusions: Our findings show that with the demographic changes occurring in the Arab world, dementia will represent a greater challenge, and the burden of the condition is predicted to increase. The results of this study are important for the allocation of resources and the financing of care for both patients and their caregivers. Further studies investigating the efficient use of resources and the cost-effectiveness of interventions in the region are highly recommended.