Noncommunicable diseases cost Kyrgyzstan’s economy nearly 30 billion soms

10:24, 23 октября 2025, Bishkek - 24-kg.com news agency , Anastasia BENGARD

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) cost Kyrgyzstan’s economy 29.8 billion soms, equivalent to 4.8 percent of GDP. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) say.

WHO reports that only 7.9 billion soms of this burden represents direct healthcare expenses, while the majority stems from productivity losses.

The presentation notes that, in addition to the visible economic burden, there is also an invisible one.

Indirect costs include:

Premature death
Absenteeism (sick leave)
Presenteeism (reduced productivity due to illness).

NCDs account for 71 percent of the total disease burden in the country.

Each year, they claim 28,800 lives in Kyrgyzstan—83 percent of all deaths.

Cardiovascular diseases alone are responsible for half (50.4 percent) of all NCD-related deaths.

The main types of NCDs include cardiovascular diseases (heart attack and stroke), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma), and diabetes.

Risk factors for NCDs in Kyrgyzstan:

Smoking: 25.7 percent of adults (aged 24–64) smoke daily [2.7 percent of women vs. 48.2 percent of men]; 10.1 percent use smokeless tobacco.

Harmful alcohol use: 44.8 percent of men and 17.7 percent of women consume alcohol, with 22.8 percent of men engaging in heavy drinking.

Unhealthy diet: 74 percent of adults (aged 24–64) consume insufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables. Salt consumption is among the highest in the world, with an age-standardized average intake of 5.18 grams per day among adults (20+ years).

Physical inactivity: 11.4 percent of adults (aged 25–64) are insufficiently active, spending less than 150 minutes per week on moderate-intensity physical activity. This rate is higher among women and urban residents.

Experts note that investing in proven, cost-effective intervention packages can significantly reduce the NCD burden, increasing life expectancy and quality of life while easing pressure on the national economy.

According to WHO estimates, every 1 som invested in NCD prevention can yield more than 10 soms in economic return.

Such investments could restore labor productivity equivalent to 34.4 billion soms. Over 15 years, expected benefits include preventing thousands of new NCD cases and saving more than 87,000 lives.

Key recommendations include:

Raising taxes on alcohol and tobacco to reduce affordability and consumption, while using the additional revenue to fund NCD prevention, strengthen the healthcare workforce, and protect households from catastrophic healthcare costs.
Scaling up interventions to reduce salt intake through expanded information and education campaigns.

A WHO mission is currently working in Kyrgyzstan to help develop a national strategy for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases.