Photo exhibition | silent killers: uncovering the invisible threats of noncommunicable diseases

About the exhibition

They don’t put on disguises. They don’t lurk in the shadows. They live among us silently, stealing time, health, and millions of lives each year.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases are the world's most prolific silent killers. They infiltrate lives undetected, passing through quietly until the damage is irreversible.

This powerful photo exhibition, "Silent Killers," takes you on an investigative journey to uncover these invisible threats. Through compelling imagery and narrative, we expose the patterns, confront the real killers, and shed light on the silent forces—commercial, social, and environmental—that are shaping our health choices and outcomes.

This is a call to action. It’s time to follow the clues and bring these epidemics out of the shadows.

The staggering toll

• 75% of all global deaths in 2021 were due to NCDs—at least 43 million lives lost.
• 18 million of these deaths were premature, occurring before the age of 70.
• The burden falls hardest on low- and middle-income countries, where health systems are least equipped to respond.

This exhibition reveals the human stories behind these statistics and the urgent need for a coordinated global response.

Visiting the exhibition

The exhibition will be on view in the First Basement Corridor, East Wall of the UN Headquarters throughout the high-week of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). We invite delegates, staff, journalists, and all attendees to take a moment to engage with this critical global health issue. 

Join the conversation

Help us break the silence on NCDs. Share your thoughts and photos using the hashtag #SilentKillers and tag our social media channels.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube.

For more information, please contact: Jin Ni, communications officer, jinn@who.int