In this guide, we list the leading causes of death worldwide, and in specific countries.
Summary – Leading Causes Of Death
Worldwide
Diseases that affect the heart (or blood flow to the heart, or arteries that carry blood to the heart) are the leading causes of death worldwide at the moment
Cancer, strokes and diseases that affect lungs are amongst the other top causes of death worldwide right now after heart diseases
Having said this, the leading causes of death can change over time in different countries. Some causes of death trend up, some trend down, and some stay relatively constant for some time
Right now, non communicable diseases might be more common in developed countries, with infections diseases more common in developing countries
Having said that, worldwide, most people might die from slowly progressing, non communicable (that don’t transmit or pass to another person), chronic diseases, as opposed to transmissible fast progressing diseases
Smoking is one of the leading contributing risk factors to the leading causes of death, particularly in countries like the US and the UK, and smoking may have a range of other potential impacts on society other than potentially contributing to premature death
Other contributing risk factors might include high blood pressure, obesity, high blood sugar and environmental risk factors including air pollution.
Several of the diseases that are leading causes of death are both preventable and treatable, as opposed to non preventable
Worldwide, fewer young people are dying, and child mortality rates have dropped over time
A potential criticism of news coverage and media is that deaths that are not leading causes of death might receive more attention than deaths that are leading causes
Deaths In The US
Heart disease and cancer make up close to 50% of deaths in the US
Accidents, and chronic lower respiratory disease come in third and fourth
In mid 2020, COVID-19 was up behind heart disease and cancer as the third leading cause of death
About 12 causes of death are responsible for more than 75% of all deaths in the US
Once again in the US, smoking, the use of tobacco, and obesity are some of the most common contributing causes of death
In terms of trends, heart disease related deaths have been falling, and cancer related deaths rising in the last decade
Deaths In Europe
On a per 100,000 people basis, heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases (affecting the blood vessels in the brain as well as cerebral circulation), and malignant neoplasm of the trachea (tracheal tumors), bronchus and lung were the leading causes of death in 20217 in EU-27 countries
High blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and smoking were all contributing factors
Deaths In Australia
In 2018, Coronary heart disease is the leading underlying cause of death in Australia, followed by dementia including Alzheimer disease, with cerebrovascular disease (including stroke), lung cancer, and COPD making up the top 5 across all genders and ages
Prevention Of Deaths That Happen By Leading Causes
There are factors that if applied, can help decrease the risk of suffering from a leading cause of death.
Generally, lifestyle choices like good nutrition, regular exercise, keeping a healthy weight, avoiding smoking (or quitting smoking), and drinking in moderation, can lower the risk of several leading causes of death in developed countries. Keeping a healty blood pressure level and blood sugar level can help with heart disease and heart related conditions too. So can avoiding environments with high levels of pollution, such as air pollution
Better sanitation and hygiene (which includes better basic infrastructure services), better nutrition and food security, availability of basic vaccinations, and availability of basic healthcare services can lower risk of the leading causes of death in developing and low income countries
Variables In Data
Leading causes of death can change over time as lifestyles, technology, and other social and economic variables change.
Pandemics and related causes can also skew data in a given year or multi year period
Expressing Causes Of Death In Different Ways
A few other notes worth mentioning are:
Leading causes of death can be expressed in a number of different ways – total deaths, deaths as a % of total deaths, and deaths per 100,000 people are a few main examples
Leading causes of death can differ by age group
Leading causes of death can differ by gender
Leading causes of death can differ by race
Leading causes of death can differ by country or region
Leading causes of deaths can also be calculated by occupation in terms of deaths per 100,000 people in a profession or industry
What Might Be Learnt From The Data & Information Below
Things that might be extrapolated from the information below might include:
Gain awareness of the leading causes of death in general
Find out what causes of death are increasing in frequency (i.e. trending up) and which ones are decreasing in frequency (i.e. trending down). Trends can differ between countries
Find out if there are growing epidemics in healthcare i.e. if one or several leading causes are becoming more significant for any reason
Find out what the leading causes of death are in different countries – it can vary significantly between high income vs low income countries, and developed vs developing countries. Deaths in low income and developing countries can be impacted by factors that are out of the person’s control – such as lack of access to basic healthcare and infrastructure, lack of food security, and so on. But, the good news is that access to basic healthcare is increasing worldwide, and other key measurements like child mortality rates are dropping (or trending in the right direction)
Determine what groups people might be most at risk of certain leading causes of death. We can also see leading causes of death by age group, by gender, and also death rates per capita by occupation
Gain awareness of the main risk factors and contributing factors to the leading causes of death
Identify which leading causes of death are preventable, partially preventable and also non preventable. An example of a preventable cause of death might be cancer linked to smoking, and an example of a non preventable cause of death might be child mortality due to lack of food security, lack of access to preventative or quality healthcare, and so on
Spreading awareness about the lifestyle choices in developed countries, and separately improvements in basic services (such as healthcare, and adequate sanitation), infrastructure and resource security (such as food security) in developing countries, that can lower risk for the leading causes of death
Leading Causes Of Death Worldwide
Below we’ve compiled some of the most relevant stats and data when looking at leading causes of death worldwide
How Many People Die Worldwide Every Year
In 2015, [an estimated] 56.4 million people … died worldwide (healthline.com)
Leading Causes Of Death Worldwide
According to healthline.com:
In 2015, [of the 56.4 million people that died worldwide …] the top 4 causes of death were …
Ischemic heart disease, or coronary artery disease (8.8 million, 15.5% of deaths)
Stroke (6.2 million, 11.1% of deaths)
Lower respiratory infections (3.2 million, 5.7% of deaths)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (3.1 million, 5.6% of deaths)
According to bbc.com:
In 2016 … [Cardio vascular diseases (which affects the heart and arteries) are responsible for 32.3% of deaths, Cancers 16.3%, and there is a big drop off from there to respiratory diseases at 6.5%, diabetes at 5.8%, and other causes of death]
According to ourworldindata.com: In 2017 … Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally [and the] The second biggest cause are cancers.
Leading Causes Of Death Can Vary By Country – Especially Between Developed & Developing Countries
According to ourworldindata.com: In 2017 … Causes of death vary significantly between countries: non-communicable diseases dominate in rich countries, whereas infectious diseases remain high at lower incomes.
The Different Leading Causes Of Death Can Trend Up & Down Over Time In Different Countries
Amongst each of the leading causes of death, there are observable trends of either a cause of death increasing in regularity, or decreasing in regularity.
There are different factors that play a part in these trends in each country, especially between developed and developing countries.
Fast vs Slowly Progressing Diseases
In 2015, of the estimated 56.4 million people that died worldwide, 68% were due to slowly progressing diseases (healthline.com)
According to bbc.com: In 2016 … More than 70% of people die from non-communicable, chronic diseases. These are not passed from person to person and typically progress slowly
Contributing Factors To Leading Causes Of Death
Smoking is a common contributing factor to several of the leading causes of death worldwide (healthline.com)
Smoking might be one example of a leading contributing factor to preventable causes of death right now in different countries worldwide like the US and the UK.
Leading Risk Factors Of Premature Death
According to ourworldindata.com: In 2017 … Leading risk factors for premature death globally include high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, high blood sugar and environmental risk factors including air pollution.
Preventable & Treatable Diseases & Deaths
Many of the diseases on the [leading causes of death] list are preventable and treatable (healthline.com)
Deaths Of Younger vs Older People
According to ourworldindata.com: In 2017 …Fewer people die at a young age. Almost half of all people who die are 70 years and older.
Child Mortality Rates
According to bbc.com: In 2016 … Worldwide, we can see the child mortality rate has severely dropped since 1950
Awareness & Reporting Of Leading Causes Of Death
According to ourworldindata.com: [There tends to be a big difference in what is actually causing people to die, and what types of deaths receive news and media coverage]
Leading Causes Of Death In The United States
Below we’ve compiled some of the most relevant stats and data when looking at leading causes of death in the United States
Leading Causes Of Death
healthline.com has a good resource that lists the top 12 causes of death, number of deaths per year, who the condition/disease is most common among, what causes the condition/disease, and tips for prevention
According to healthline.com:
Heart disease (635,260) and Cancer (598,038) are responsible for 46 percent of deaths in the US, and are the two most common causes of death
Accidents come in at third (161,374), and Chronic lower respiratory disease fourth (154,596)
Cell tower construction, fishing, logging and aircraft pilots and flight engineers all rate amongst the highest occupational death rates.
According to usafacts.org, as of June 27 2020, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death (after heart disease and cancer)
% Of Deaths That The Leading Causes Of Death Make Up Of All Deaths
The top 12 causes of death in the United States account for more than 75 percent of all deaths (healthline.com)
Contributing Factors To The Leading Causes Of Death
[Smoking/the use of tobacco, and being overweight/obese are a few of the common contributing factors to the leading causes of death] (healthline.com)
Trends Amongst The Leading Causes Of Death Over Time
[Heart disease related deaths have been falling over the last few decades whilst cancer related deaths have been rising] (healthline.com)
Leading Causes Of Death In Europe
Below we’ve compiled some of the most relevant stats and data when looking at leading causes of death in EU-27 countries
Leading Causes Of Death
According to ec.europa.eu:
In 2017, in the EU-27 group of countries …
The leading causes of death per 100,000 inhabitants were 1) Ischaemic heart diseases, 2) Cerebrovascular diseases, and 3) Malignant neoplasm of the trachea, bronchus and lung
[Read more about the leading causes of death in Europe and different stats and trends in the ec.europa.eu resource]
Contributing Factors To Leading Causes Of Death
Leading causes of death were related to high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and smoking (ec.europa.eu)
Leading Causes Of Death In Australia
Below we’ve compiled some of the most relevant stats and data when looking at leading causes of death in Australia
Main Causes Of Death
According to aihw.gov.au:
In 2018 …
Coronary heart disease is the leading underlying cause of death in Australia, followed by dementia including Alzheimer disease.
Cerebrovascular disease (which includes stroke), lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) make up the top 5 leading underlying causes of death in Australia in 2018, for males and females of all ages combined
Read more about the leading causes of death in Australia in the listed aihw.gov.au resource
Sources
1. https://www.healthline.com/health/leading-causes-of-death
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/top-10-deadliest-diseases
3. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
4. Hannah Ritchie (2018) – “Causes of Death”. Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://ourworldindata.org/causes-of-death’ [Online Resource]
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_causes_of_death_by_rate
6. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47371078
7. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/282929
8. https://usafacts.org/articles/top-causes-death-united-states-heart-disease-cancer-and-covid-19/
9. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Causes_of_death_statistics
10. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/life-expectancy-death/deaths-in-australia/contents/leading-causes-of-death
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