Chronic kidney disease in Asia: a meta-analysis

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Asia was determined by comparing differences in age, sex, area, and analytical methods. This meta-analysis comprised 42 studies with 2,271,169 participants from five databases that were searched until February 30, 2025. The total prevalence of CKD 1-5 was 17.0%, whereas that of stages 3-5 was 7.7% in Asia. Individuals aged >60 years had a higher prevalence rate of CKD 1-5 compared to those aged <60 years. Compared with Asia (as the comparator), the age-standardized prevalence of CKD (aCKD) 1-5 was the highest in Nepal and South Asia, whereas it was the lowest in Vietnam. Compared with the comparator, Vietnam and Malaysia had the highest aCKD 3-5; while, South Korea and India had lower aCKD 3-5. The sex-standardized prevalence of CKD (sCKD) 1-5 was lower in Nepal, Taiwan, Korea, and South Asia and was higher in Bangladesh than in the comparator. The sCKD 3-5 was lowest in Korea and Taiwan and was highest in Iran and Sri Lanka compared with the comparator. Iranian women and men had the highest prevalence of CKD 3-5. South Asia has a higher prevalence of CKD among men and women than East Asia. The prevalence of CKD was greater in the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration-based studies than in the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD)-based research. The findings indicate that evaluating populations without considering sex and age is difficult, especially when the sex and age of the groups differ greatly.