Objective: Childhood leukemia is the most frequent form of cancer in children. Despite the fact that most children diagnosed with leukemia are cured, many of them experience long-term complications.

Materials and Methods: An ecological study was conducted utilizing data related to healthy life years lost due to disability (YLDs), years of life lost due to premature death (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) caused by leukemia cancer (chronic and acute) in children from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD). We used correlation tests at the 0.05 level to examine the correlation between these indicators and the human development index.

Results: The highest DALYs and YLLs in 2010 and 2019 were associated with Low Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) regions, while the highest number of YLDs in 2010 and 2019 were related to High-middle SDI regions in the continent. In Asia, the burden of disease, YLDs and premature death were higher in men than in women from 2010 to 2019. Our results demonstrated a negative and significant correlation between DALY (r=-0.563, p=0.0001) and YLL (r=-0.571, p=0.0001) with the human development index in Asian countries. However, the correlation between the index of YLD (r=- 0.108, p=0.483) and the human development index was not significant.

Conclusions: To reduce the risks associated with leukemia cancer, policymakers should take the necessary measures to improve healthcare systems, promote early diagnosis and treatment, and provide health education to reduce exposure to risk factors related to leukemia cancer. Countries with low human development index have a higher burden of leukemia, which indicates the need for targeted interventions to lower the burden of childhood leukemia in these regions.