LEARN
The Global State of COPD:
Driving Change to Tackle a Lung Health Crisis
The report sheds light on the growing burden
of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) on people, health systems and
society, while highlighting opportunities for
policy action and system change, and
showcasing promising initiatives taking place
around the world. It provides ‘building blocks’
for an effective policy response, accompanied
by recommendations for policymakers to help
address COPD.
The report is based on secondary research as well as interviews with clinical and patient experts, with a focus on ten countries. See below.
Why Speak Up for COPD?
Pourquoi parler de la BPCO?
Warum der Einsatz für COPD?
¿Por qué hablar de la EPOC?
Country Profile Reports
A Global Call for Action on COPD
WHA Lung Health Resolution
United Nations Publishes Political Declaration
To build on this progress, the United Nations will host a major event in New York City. During this meeting, world leaders will publish a political declaration on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). These are long-term health problems like COPD,
cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. NCDs don’t spread from person to person, but they are the top causes of death and disability around the world.3,4,5 This new declaration gives leaders another key opportunity to commit to stronger action to help people live longer, healthier lives.
Why This Matters.
Lung conditions like COPD, asthma, bronchiectasis, lung cancer and lung infections affect millions of people worldwide.6, 7 And, for too long, lung health hasn’t been a big focus for world leaders.8 These two milestones show that countries are ready to work together to give lung health the attention it deserves.
This is great news for people living with COPD and other lung conditions. It’s also a win for the entire lung health community. The Speak Up for COPD coalition, alongside many others, is proud to help raise awareness and push for change.
Now is the Time to Act.
But big promises only matter if they lead to real change. The WHA resolution and the UN political declaration can shape national policy and funding — but only if advocates push for their implementation at country level.
That’s why we are calling on leaders at global, regional, and national levels to act now — and to keep lung health high on the agenda for the long term. Now is the time to push for stronger prevention efforts, better access to testing and treatment, and policies that support lung health for all.If you are interested in how you can get involved and speak up for COPD locally, stay tuned! We’ll be sharing new data, resources and actions you can take.
COPD is a serious lung disease that takes a significant toll on individuals, their carers and healthcare systems.9 Despite affecting 391 million people worldwide,*10 and being the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and stroke,11 COPD is often underdiagnosed and underprioritized within healthcare systems.12 A growing body of expert-backed evidence demonstrates the need to prioritise consistent, quality COPD care.
We believe patients should be empowered to live freely with COPD, without symptoms and exacerbations, reducing their interaction with hospitals and extending their life for as long as possible.
Tonya Winders, President and CEO of the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform
Time to Act Now: Joint Declaration on the urgent need for policy action to address the burden of COPD
Read our Joint Declaration to bring urgent attention to the human, societal and economic impact of COPD, and to urge policymakers and healthcare leaders to address the tremendous burden of COPD across the world.
We call on policymakers at all levels of government, patient advocacy groups, non-governmental organisations, clinical experts and researchers to join us in endorsing this declaration.
Ipsos Global Survey 2025: Policymakers Are Paying Attention, But More Action Is Needed
The 2025 Speak Up for COPD Ipsos global survey shows that awareness of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is rising among policymakers, but action still lags behind. While more leaders now recognize COPD as a significant burden on health systems and economies, the disease remains underfunded, underdiagnosed, and underprioritized compared to other chronic illnesses.13
Key Findings
- Awareness among policymakers has grown from 37% in 2022 to 59% in 2025.13
- More than three-quarters (76%) of policymakers now recognize COPD as a serious burden on health systems.13
- Still, stigma and misconceptions continue to block policy and integrated care progress, with COPD often seen only as a “smoker’s disease.”14
“It’s time to raise COPD on the political agenda. We must ensure early
diagnosis, address stigma, and invest where the burden is greatest.”
– Jose Luis Castro, WHO Special Envoy for Chronic Respiratory Diseases
What Can I Do?
We all need to Speak Up and bring better awareness to the challenges in policy and care delivery for COPD. We’ve developed resources to help you to share the survey findings with your national policymakers to push COPD up the political agenda.
Why This Matters
By uniting our voices and amplifying the survey findings, we can push governments, healthcare systems, and policymakers to act now.
Join the movement: #SpeakUpforCOPD
Global Quality Standards to Inform National Care Review and Reform
The Global Quality Standard Position Statements for Health System Policy Changes in Diagnosis and Management of COPD provides the first comprehensive blueprint of the changes healthcare systems around the world should implement as a consistent standard of care.
DRIVE AWARENESS WITH KEY
DECISION MAKERS
A roadmap for Improved Care: The COPD Patient Charter
The COPD community developed six guiding principles to support people with COPD to receive the care they deserve:
Timely access for the diagnosis and assessment of COPD
Support to understand what having COPD means and how the disease may progress
Access to the best available evidence-based, personalised care to ensure patients live as well and long as possible
Urgent review of care management plans when a patient experiences an exacerbation
Access to consistent quality care, regardless of where a patient lives or chooses to access it
Live with COPD freely while maximising quality of life without stigma or guilt
