Disability-adjusted life year
![Disability-adjusted life years out of 100,000 lost due to any cause in 2004.[1]
no data
fewer than 9,250
9,250–16,000
16,000–22,750
22,750–29,500
29,500–36,250
36,250–43,000
43,000–49,750
49,750–56,500
56,500–63,250
63,250–70,000
70,000–80,000
more than 80,000](/Images/godic/202502/21/All_Causes_world_map_-_DALY_-_WHO2004.svg2216.png")
![](/Images/godic/202502/21/DALY_disability_affected_life_year_infographic.svg2216.png")
![Some studies use DALYs calculated to place greater value on a year lived as a young adult. This formula produces average values around age 10 and age 55, a peak around age 25, and lowest values among very young children and very old people.[6]](/Images/godic/202502/21/Disability_Adjusted_Life_Year_Weight_Plot.svg2216.png")
The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) is a measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death. It was developed in the 1990s as a way of comparing the overall health and life expectancy of different countries.