About the partnership
Home to nearly 10% of the global population, Southeast Asian countries face health challenges related to rapidly aging populations, changing disease patterns, and the impacts of climate change. To respond to these challenges, policymakers need scientific evidence to guide them in prioritizing initiatives and allocating funding.
Drawing on the research and academic strengths of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and IHME’s expertise in health metrics, the NUS-IHME Global Burden of Disease Research Centre, based at NUS Medicine, serves as a key analytical engine for Southeast Asia and the surrounding region. This Centre continues a legacy of robust collaboration in Singapore, including a longstanding partnership with the Ministry of Health of Singapore to produce evidence for informed policy-making.
Associate Professor Marie Ng, Principal Collaborator and the Centre’s director, said, “This Centre is about empowering decision-makers with the data and insights they need to improve population health, both regionally and globally. By embedding global methodologies within local contexts, the Centre seeks to not only generate population health data but also translate insights into meaningful policies.”
The Centre’s research will help address inequities, promote healthy aging and women’s health, and tackle and prepare for threats including future pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, non-communicable diseases, and modifiable risk factors.
“Better health starts with better evidence, and unifying our expertise will allow us to pinpoint the leading causes of death and disability and provide solutions that are grounded in regional and local context,” said Dr. Chris Murray, IHME Director.
Introduction to the NUS-IHME Global Burden of Disease Research Centre
Serving as a regional analytical hub for Southeast Asia, the Centre delivers robust population health evidence to inform policy on aging, climate, and chronic disease risks—bridging global methodologies with local contexts.
NUS-IHME Regional Forum
In February 2026, the Centre hosted a Regional Policy Forum themed “Accelerating Data-Driven Policy for the Future of Population Health in the ASEAN Region.” The program featured a keynote address by IHME director Chris Murray and four thematic plenaries co-organized with leading partners: healthy longevity, nutrition and lifestyle, climate-related disease burden, and the future of ASEAN health.
GBD Foundations Workshop
This workshop was created to support new users of the GBD study in building a strong foundation of knowledge and skills. Nearly 60 participants from across the Asia Pacific region gained an understanding of the key analytical strategies, data sources, and results that underpin GBD. The workshop covered GBD methods, tools, and datasets, using GBD visualization platforms, and interpreting findings.
Podcast: Health trends in the ASEAN region
In this episode, hear from IHME Affiliate Associate Professor Marie Ng as she discusses a series that’s the first of its kind focused on health in the ASEAN region, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
ASEAN briefings
View briefings covering data from 1990 to 2021 analyzed by age, sex, and location for each of ASEAN countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Singapore country profile
Country profiles provide an overview of findings from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), including forecasts for population size, life expectancy, causes of death, and more. They are generated using over 80,000 data sources to produce the most scientifically rigorous estimates possible.
