Estimated differences in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease regional prevalence according to definition used for age groups≥30 yrs
| Region | Prevalence % | ||
| Symptoms | Physician diagnosis | Spirometry | |
| AFR D | 1–3 | ||
| AMR A | 5–15 | 1–3 | 2–5 |
| AMR B | 5–13 | ||
| EMR B | 2–10 | 1–2 | |
| EUR A | 10–20 | 2–5 | 3–7 |
| EUR B | 10–20 | ||
| SEAR D | 2–7 | ||
| WPR A | 10–15 | 2–5 | |
| WPR B | 2–8 | 1–3 | |
Regions without prevalence studies have been omitted. A: very low child and adult mortality; B: low child and adult mortality; D: high child and adult mortality; AFR: Africa; AMR: Americas; EMR: Eastern Mediterranean; EUR: Europe; SEAR: South-East Asia; WPR: Western Pacific. See Supplementary material on website for information regarding the source of these data.