Who dies of kidney disease?
In the median of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age, 1.7% of men and 1.7% of women eventually die of kidney disease. It is never the most likely cause of death for any one country, sex and age group — but it adds up over a lifetime.
The risk by age
Chance of dying of kidney disease within 10 years, and its share of all the risk at that age — the median of 36 countries. Your own country's numbers are one click away on its page.
| Age | men | women |
|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | <0.01% (0.17% of the risk) | 0% (0% of the risk) |
| 20–24 | <0.01% (0.21% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.39% of the risk) |
| 25–29 | <0.01% (0.33% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.44% of the risk) |
| 30–34 | <0.01% (0.36% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.60% of the risk) |
| 35–39 | <0.01% (0.39% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.62% of the risk) |
| 40–44 | 0.01% (0.46% of the risk) | <0.01% (0.61% of the risk) |
| 45–49 | 0.02% (0.50% of the risk) | 0.01% (0.55% of the risk) |
| 50–54 | 0.04% (0.59% of the risk) | 0.03% (0.68% of the risk) |
| 55–59 | 0.08% (0.76% of the risk) | 0.04% (0.80% of the risk) |
| 60–64 | 0.13% (0.88% of the risk) | 0.07% (0.93% of the risk) |
| 65–69 | 0.24% (1.1% of the risk) | 0.16% (1.2% of the risk) |
| 70–74 | 0.45% (1.4% of the risk) | 0.31% (1.4% of the risk) |
| 75–79 | 0.82% (1.7% of the risk) | 0.62% (1.6% of the risk) |
| 80–84 | 1.4% (2.0% of the risk) | 1.1% (1.7% of the risk) |
| 85–89 | 2.0% (2.2% of the risk) | 1.5% (1.8% of the risk) |
| 90–94 | 2.1% (2.2% of the risk) | 1.6% (1.7% of the risk) |
Lifetime chance, men: highest and lowest countries
Lifetime chance, women: highest and lowest countries
What changes the odds
- People with obesity (a BMI of 30 or more): about 2.8 times as often as people of healthy weight.
- In large cohort studies, people who smoke died of it about 2.1 times as often as people who never smoked (Carter 2015).
Weight, exercise, alcohol and diet at age 55, from the published studies behind Odainn's personal numbers — methodology.
What you can do
- Keep blood pressure and blood sugar under control.
- If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, ask for kidney tests (blood and urine) every year.
- Don't take anti-inflammatory painkillers regularly without your doctor's advice.
Sources: KDIGO 2024 guideline on chronic kidney disease; NHS: Chronic kidney disease. General guidance, not medical advice.
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Related: Diabetes
Questions
- At what age is kidney disease most likely to be the cause of death?
- For men, kidney disease takes its largest share of deaths at 90–94: 2.2% of the risk of dying in the next 10 years, in the median of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age.
- Which country has the highest risk of dying of kidney disease?
- Of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age, Türkiye has the highest lifetime chance of dying of kidney disease for men (3.6%), and Finland the lowest (0.24%).
- What raises the risk of dying of kidney disease?
- People with obesity (a BMI of 30 or more): about 2.8 times as often as people of healthy weight. In large cohort studies, people who smoke died of it about 2.1 times as often as people who never smoked (Carter 2015).
Computed by Odainn from official mortality statistics (Eurostat; ONS, NRS and NISRA; CDC; Statistics Canada) for 36 countries, latest years — how we calculate. Belarus is left out: deaths by cause and age aren't published together there, so the split by cause is our estimate. Population statistics, not a prediction for any individual. Educational, not medical advice.