In Norway, there is a limited overview of the disease burden arising from brain diseases and there are few collated statistics for the area. The figures presented in sections 3.2-3.7 were taken from different countries to illustrate the disease burden caused by brain diseases internationally. It is important to note that there may be some uncertainty associated with the figures, as the definition of brain disease may vary from country to country. Although the figures should therefore be interpreted with some caution, they do provide a picture of the extent of these diseases.
A study among the Danish population showed that the incidence of brain diseases was just over 33% in 2015 and that it had increased to just over 35% by 2021 (Fuglsang, 2025). Over the past 30 years, brain diseases have increased globally by 64% (from just over 2.5 billion in 1990). This trend is expected to continue unless effective measures are implemented (IHME Brain Health Atlas, undated).
It is believed that one in three people in Norway will develop a brain disease during their lifetime (Government, 2023). According to the Global Burden of Disease Study, Norway is expected to register over one million new cases of brain disease each year going forward (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)(2022).