Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent; however, comprehensive and current epidemiological data remain scarce. This study examined the global, national, and regional burden of UTIs by sex, age, and socio-demographic index (SDI) from 1990 to 2021. The 2021 Global Burden of Disease study included age-standardised incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardised prevalence rate (ASPR), age-standardised death rate (ASDR), and age-standardised disability-adjusted life years rate (ASDAR). The estimated annual percentage change was used to depict temporal trends, whereas Pearson correlation analysis explore its correlation with the human development index (HDI), the SDI, and age-standardised rates (ASRs). An autoregressive integrated moving average model forecasted the UTI burden trends. From 1990 to 2021, the number of UTI cases increased by 66.45%, reaching 4.49 billion cases, with an ASIR of 5,531.88 per 100,000 population. The greatest incidence of UTIs was seen in women and older adult men. Tropical Latin America and low-middle SDI regions exhibited the highest ASIR, ASPR, ASDR, and ASDAR, while East Asia showed the lowest. ASDR and ASDAR decreased with higher SDI levels. ASR and HDI were weakly positively correlated with ASDR and ASDAR. ASIR, ASPR, and ASDAR are projected to increase until 2050. The global burden of UTIs is rising and is influenced by geographical location, age, sex, and economic development, crucial for guiding medical practices and forming relevant policies.