Fatty liver: scope and numbers
Recent reporting estimates metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatotic liver disease affected about 16.1% of people globally in 2023 and cites projections that cases could approach roughly 1.8 billion by 2050 in some scenarios. (ajmc.com) The coverage links the rise to population growth plus increases in obesity and high blood sugar and notes many people with MASLD show no symptoms. (theguardian.com)
A buildup of fat in the liver that is tied to obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic problems now affects about 1.3 billion people worldwide. (thelancet.com) Researchers estimated 1.3 billion cases of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in 2023, or 16.1% of the global population, and projected about 1.8 billion cases by 2050 under a reference scenario. (thelancet.com) The forecast was published in *The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology* in April 2026, and reporting on the study said population growth was the biggest driver of the increase, with obesity and high blood sugar also pushing numbers higher. (ajmc.com) (theguardian.com) Doctors use the term “steatotic” to mean fat has built up in the liver. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases says metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, is the new name for what was long called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. (aasld.org) The name changed in June 2023, when liver societies adopted “steatotic liver disease” as the umbrella term and “MASLD” for cases linked to cardiometabolic risk factors such as excess weight, abnormal blood sugar, or diabetes. (aasld.org) European liver, diabetes, and obesity societies said in 2024 guidelines that MASLD is tightly linked to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and other cardiometabolic risk factors, and that case-finding should focus on people with those risks. (easl.eu) Many people do not know they have the disease because it often causes no symptoms in its early stages. Reporting on the new study said that “silent” pattern is one reason the condition can spread widely before it is detected. (theguardian.com) The concern is not only fat in the liver itself. Clinical guidelines say MASLD is associated with higher risks of liver scarring, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and other complications outside the liver. (easl.eu) By 2050, the study said, the world could be dealing with hundreds of millions more people carrying a disease that often stays hidden until damage is harder to reverse. (thelancet.com)
