Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia cost the global economy $604 billion, 1 percent of the world’s total GDP, according to a new report from the World Alzheimer’s Disease International. The group’s chairman Daisy Acosta calls the report a “wake-up call that Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are the single most significant health and social crisis of the 21st century.”

To put the size of the economic toll in perspective, the report notes that the annual cost of dementia care eclipses the size of the economies of all but 17 countries.

The report projects that the number of people with dementia will double by 2030, and more than triple by 2050. The cost of caring for these people will rise even faster, the report says, especially in the developing world, as more formal social care systems emerge.

Despite the alarming toll the disease is taking, the report notes that in some individual countries research and investment into dementia is at a far lower level than for other major illnesses. It points to data from the United Kingdom that suggests that a 15-fold increase is required to reach parity with research into heart disease, and a 30-fold increase to achieve parity with cancer research.

Among the recommendations made by the group is that governments worldwide make Alzheimer’s disease a top priority and develop plans to address the social and health consequences of dementia. It also calls on major increases in funding for research. The report can be found here.

“The scale of this crisis cries out for global action,” said Marc Wortmann, executive director of ADI. “History shows that major diseases can be made manageable - and even preventable - with sufficient global awareness and the political will to make substantial investments in research and care options.”