In 2019, the leading causes of death globally included ischemic heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There were **** million deaths from ischemic heart disease at that time and about **** million deaths caused by stroke. In recent history, increases in life expectancy, increases in population and better standards of living have changed the leading causes of death over time. Non-Communicable Disease Deaths The number of deaths due to non-communicable diseases has remained relatively stable in recent years. A large majority of non-communicable or chronic disease deaths globally are caused by cardiovascular diseases, followed by cancer. Various lifestyle choices cause or exacerbate many of these chronic diseases. Drinking, smoking and lack of exercise can contribute to higher rates of non-communicable diseases and early death. It is estimated that the relative risk of death before the age of 65 was ** times greater among those that smoked and never quit. Infectious Disease Deaths Trends indicate that the number of deaths due to infectious diseases have decreased in recent years. However, infectious diseases still disproportionately impact low- and middle-income countries. In 2021, tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS were still among the leading causes of death in low-income countries. However, the leading causes of death in upper income countries are almost exclusively non-communicable, chronic conditions.

This dataset of U.S. mortality trends since 1900 highlights trends in age-adjusted death rates for five selected major causes of death. Age-adjusted death rates (deaths per 100,000) after 1998 are calculated based on the 2000 U.S. standard population. Populations used for computing death rates for 2011–2017 are postcensal estimates based on the 2010 census, estimated as of July 1, 2010. Rates for census years are based on populations enumerated in the corresponding censuses. Rates for noncensus years between 2000 and 2010 are revised using updated intercensal population estimates and may differ from rates previously published. Data on age-adjusted death rates prior to 1999 are taken from historical data (see References below). Revisions to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) over time may result in discontinuities in cause-of-death trends. SOURCES CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, historical data, 1900-1998 (see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/mortality_historical_data.htm); CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, mortality data (see http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm); and CDC WONDER (see http://wonder.cdc.gov). REFERENCES National Center for Health Statistics, Data Warehouse. Comparability of cause-of-death between ICD revisions. 2008. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/mortality/comparability_icd.htm. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital statistics data available. Mortality multiple cause files. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/vitalstatsonline.htm. Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Arias E. Deaths: Final data for 2017. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 68 no 9. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2019. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_09-508.pdf. Arias E, Xu JQ. United States life tables, 2017. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 68 no 7. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2019. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_07-508.pdf. National Center for Health Statistics. Historical Data, 1900-1998. 2009. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/mortality_historical_data.htm.

In 2019, the leading causes of death worldwide were ischemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). That year, ischemic heart disease and stroke accounted for a combined ** percent of all deaths worldwide. Although the leading causes of death worldwide vary by region and country, heart disease is a consistent leading cause of death regardless of income, development, size, or location. Heart disease In 2019, around **** million people worldwide died from ischemic heart disease. In comparison, around **** million people died from lung cancer that year, while *** million died from diabetes. The countries with the highest rates of death due to heart attack and other ischemic heart diseases are Lithuania, Russia, and Slovakia. Although some risk factors for heart disease, such as age and genetics, are unmodifiable, the likelihood of developing heart disease can be greatly reduced through a healthy lifestyle. The biggest modifiable risk factors for heart disease include smoking, an unhealthy diet, being overweight, and a lack of exercise. In 2019, it was estimated that around *** million deaths worldwide due to ischemic heart disease could be attributed to smoking. The leading causes of death in the United States Just as it is the leading cause of death worldwide, heart disease is also the leading cause of death in the United States. In 2023, heart disease accounted for ** percent of all deaths in the United States. Cancer was the second leading cause of death in the U.S. that year, followed by accidents. As of 2023, the odds that a person in the United States will die from heart disease is * in *. However, rates of death due to heart disease have actually declined in the U.S. over the past couple decades. From 2000 to 2022, there was a *** percent decline in heart disease deaths. On the other hand, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease saw an increase of *** percent over this period. Alzheimer’s disease is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for **** deaths per 100,000 population in 2023.

Final counts of deaths by the month the deaths occurred and by select causes of death for 2014-2019.

Rank, number of deaths, percentage of deaths, and age-specific mortality rates for the leading causes of death, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.

In 2019, around 32.8 percent of all deaths globally were caused by cardiovascular diseases and almost 18 percent were caused by cancer. This statistic shows the distribution of causes of death worldwide in 2019.

Effective September 27, 2023, this dataset will no longer be updated. Similar data are accessible from wonder.cdc.gov. Provisional counts of deaths by the week the deaths occurred, by state of occurrence, and by select underlying causes of death for 2020-2023. The dataset also includes weekly provisional counts of death for COVID-19, coded to ICD-10 code U07.1 as an underlying or multiple cause of death. NOTE: death counts are presented with a one week lag.

According to the findings of a survey by IPSOS, worldwide people generally underestimate the proportion of deaths from cardiovascular diseases and cancer, two of the leading causes of death worldwide. It was found that on average respondents thought cardiovascular diseases accounted for just 11 percent of deaths worldwide, when in reality cardiovascular diseases account for 32 percent of deaths. This statistic shows the actual vs public estimates for causes of death worldwide as of 2019.

HIV and sexually transmitted infections were the main cause of death in Mozambique as of 2019. For every 100,000 deaths, 233.18 were caused by these diseases. Respiratory infections and tuberculosis followed, with a death rate of 123.69 casualties per 100,000. Overall, the mortality rate in Mozambique was measured at 8.21 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in the same year.

Final counts of deaths by the week the deaths occurred, by state of occurrence, and by select causes of death for 2014-2019. Death counts in this dataset were derived from the National Vital Statistics System database that provides the most timely access to the data. Therefore, counts may differ slightly from final data due to differences in processing, recoding, and imputation.

Germany DE: Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data was reported at 90.598 % in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 91.046 % for 2015. Germany DE: Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 91.273 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2019, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 91.869 % in 2000 and a record low of 90.598 % in 2019. Germany DE: Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Germany – Table DE.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Cause of death refers to the share of all deaths for all ages by underlying causes. Non-communicable diseases include cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, digestive diseases, skin diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, and congenital anomalies.;Derived based on the data from Global Health Estimates 2020: Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000-2019. Geneva, World Health Organization; 2020. Link: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-leading-causes-of-death;Weighted average;

Provisional counts of deaths by the month the deaths occurred, by age group and HHS region, for select underlying causes of death for 2019-2020. The dataset also includes monthly provisional counts of death for COVID-19, coded to ICD-10 code U07.1 as an underlying or multiple cause of death.

This dataset contains counts of deaths for California counties based on information entered on death certificates. Final counts are derived from static data and include out-of-state deaths to California residents, whereas provisional counts are derived from incomplete and dynamic data. Provisional counts are based on the records available when the data was retrieved and may not represent all deaths that occurred during the time period. Deaths involving injuries from external or environmental forces, such as accidents, homicide and suicide, often require additional investigation that tends to delay certification of the cause and manner of death. This can result in significant under-reporting of these deaths in provisional data.

The final data tables include both deaths that occurred in each California county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence) and deaths to residents of each California county (by residence), whereas the provisional data table only includes deaths that occurred in each county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence). The data are reported as totals, as well as stratified by age, gender, race-ethnicity, and death place type. Deaths due to all causes (ALL) and selected underlying cause of death categories are provided. See temporal coverage for more information on which combinations are available for which years.

The cause of death categories are based solely on the underlying cause of death as coded by the International Classification of Diseases. The underlying cause of death is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury." It is a single value assigned to each death based on the details as entered on the death certificate. When more than one cause is listed, the order in which they are listed can affect which cause is coded as the underlying cause. This means that similar events could be coded with different underlying causes of death depending on variations in how they were entered. Consequently, while underlying cause of death provides a convenient comparison between cause of death categories, it may not capture the full impact of each cause of death as it does not always take into account all conditions contributing to the death.

Mortality from leading causes of death by ethnic group, England and Wales, 2012 to 2019.

Number of deaths and age-specific mortality rates for selected grouped causes, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.

Azerbaijan Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data was reported at 90.248 % in 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 88.196 % for 2015. Azerbaijan Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 86.578 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2019, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 90.248 % in 2019 and a record low of 76.055 % in 2000. Azerbaijan Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Azerbaijan – Table AZ.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Cause of death refers to the share of all deaths for all ages by underlying causes. Non-communicable diseases include cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, digestive diseases, skin diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, and congenital anomalies.;Derived based on the data from Global Health Estimates 2020: Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000-2019. Geneva, World Health Organization; 2020. Link: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-leading-causes-of-death;Weighted average;

The leading causes of death by sex and ethnicity in New York City in since 2007. Cause of death is derived from the NYC death certificate which is issued for every death that occurs in New York City. Report last ran: 09/24/2019 Rates based on small numbers (RSE > 30) as well as aggregate counts less than 5 have been suppressed in downloaded data Source: Bureau of Vital Statistics and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

In 2019, there were around 189 deaths per 100,000 population in the United States due to heart disease in rural areas, while there were around 156 deaths per 100,000 population in urban areas due to heart disease. This statistic illustrates the death rates for the leading causes of death in the United States in 2019, by urban-rural classification.

BR: Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data was reported at 74.738 % in 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 73.370 % for 2015. BR: Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 73.194 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2019, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 74.738 % in 2019 and a record low of 69.140 % in 2000. BR: Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Brazil – Table BR.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Cause of death refers to the share of all deaths for all ages by underlying causes. Non-communicable diseases include cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, digestive diseases, skin diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, and congenital anomalies.;Derived based on the data from Global Health Estimates 2020: Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000-2019. Geneva, World Health Organization; 2020. Link: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-leading-causes-of-death;Weighted average;

Azerbaijan Cause of Death: by Injury: % of Total data was reported at 3.764 % in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.373 % for 2015. Azerbaijan Cause of Death: by Injury: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 4.587 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2019, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.183 % in 2000 and a record low of 3.764 % in 2019. Azerbaijan Cause of Death: by Injury: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Azerbaijan – Table AZ.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Cause of death refers to the share of all deaths for all ages by underlying causes. Injuries include unintentional and intentional injuries.;Derived based on the data from Global Health Estimates 2020: Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000-2019. Geneva, World Health Organization; 2020. Link: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-leading-causes-of-death;Weighted average;