As of 2022, the countries with the highest death rates worldwide were Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Moldova. In these countries, there were 17 to 21 deaths per 1,000 people. The country with the lowest death rate is Qatar, where there is just one death per 1,000 people. Leading causes of death The leading causes of death worldwide are by far, ischaemic heart disease and stroke, accounting for a combined 27 percent of all deaths in 2019. In that year, there were 8.89 million deaths worldwide from ischaemic heart disease and 6.19 million from stroke. Interestingly, a worldwide survey from that year found that people greatly underestimate the proportion of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease, but overestimate the proportion of deaths caused by suicide, interpersonal violence, and substance use disorders. Death in the United States In 2022, there were around 3.27 million deaths in the United States. The leading causes of death in the United States are currently heart disease and cancer, accounting for a combined 40 percent of all deaths in 2022. Lung and bronchus cancer is the deadliest form of cancer worldwide, as well as in the United States. In the U.S. this form of cancer is predicted to cause around 65,790 deaths among men alone in the year 2024. Prostate cancer is the second-deadliest cancer for men in the U.S. while breast cancer is the second deadliest for women. In 2022, the fourth leading cause of death in the United States was COVID-19. Deaths due to COVID-19 resulted in a significant rise in the total number of deaths in the U.S. in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019.

Peru is the country with the highest mortality rate due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Latin America. As of November 13, 2023, the country registered over 672 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. It was followed by Brazil, with around 331.5 fatal cases per 100,000 population. In total, over 1.76 million people have died due to COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Are these figures accurate? Although countries like Brazil already rank among the countries most affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), there is still room to believe that the number of cases and deaths in Latin American countries are underreported. The main reason is the relatively low number of tests performed in the region. For example, Brazil, one of the most impacted countries in the world, has performed approximately 63.7 million tests as of December 22, 2022. This compared with over one billion tests performed in the United States, approximately 909 million tests completed in India, or around 522 million tests carried out in the United Kingdom.

Capacity to deal with the outbreak With the spread of the Omicron variant, the COVID-19 pandemic is putting health systems around the world under serious pressure. The lack of equipment to treat acute cases, for instance, is one of the problems affecting Latin American countries. In 2019, the number of ventilators in hospitals in the most affected countries ranged from 25.23 per 100,000 inhabitants in Brazil to 5.12 per 100,000 people in Peru.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

Since 2008, HIV/AIDS remains the most fatal infectious disease in China. In 2021, almost 14 out of one million people in China died from AIDS. Tuberculosis stood at the second place, while rabies ranked the fourth.

Who are the high risk groups?

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has become a growing concern for the major population in China. A majority of new infections were the result from sexual transmission. Although the prevalence rate has been relatively low, the trend of new diagnoses in people aged from 15 to 24 years has been alarming, with gay men disproportionately represented.

Children under the age of 14 are the most vulnerable group to contract common infectious diseases like influenza and HFMD. The Chinese government has thus introduced healthcare initiatives dedicated to vaccinating children up to the age of 14 under the Extended Program for Immunization (EPI). The efforts have been fruitful with significant improvement in the healthcare status of children under the age of five in the country.

How is disease controlled in China?

The world’s most populous nation has made considerable efforts in tracking and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Alongside geographical and demographic challenges, the mortality rate of infectious diseases has seen a slight increase over the recent years. Seasonal diseases, especially Influenza and mumps, are easily widespread and have pressed the demand for efficient disease prevention and control. In response, the Chinese government has ramped up the supply of influenza vaccines and HPV vaccines.

In 2022, the states with the highest death rates due to heart disease were Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Alabama. That year, there were around 257 deaths due to heart disease per 100,000 population in the state of Oklahoma. In comparison, the overall death rate from heart disease in the United States was 167 per 100,000 population. The leading cause of death in the United States Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 21 percent of all deaths in 2022. That year, cancer was the second leading cause of death, followed by unintentional injuries and COVID-19. In the United States, a person has a one in six chance of dying from heart disease. Death rates for heart disease are higher among men than women, but both have seen steady decreases in heart disease death rates since the 1950s. What are risk factors for heart disease? Although heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, the risk of heart disease can be decreased by avoiding known risk factors. Some of the leading preventable risk factors for heart disease include smoking, heavy alcohol use, physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet, and being overweight or obese. It is no surprise that the states with the highest rates of death from heart disease are also the states with the highest rates of heart disease risk factors. For example, Oklahoma, the state with the highest heart disease death rate, is also the state with the third-highest rate of obesity. Furthermore, Mississippi is the state with the highest levels of physical inactivity, and it has the second-highest heart disease death rate in the United States.

Among the ten major virus outbreaks in the last 50 years, Marburg ranked first in terms of the fatality rate with 80 percent. In comparison, the recent novel coronavirus, originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan, had an estimated fatality rate of 2.2 percent as of January 31, 2020.

Alarming COVID-19 fatality rate in Mexico More than 812,000 people worldwide had died from COVID-19 as of August 24, 2020. Three of the most populous countries in the world have reported particularly large numbers of coronavirus-related deaths: Mexico, Brazil, and the United States. Out of those three nations, Mexico has the highest COVID-19 death rate, with around one in ten confirmed cases resulting in death. The high fatality rate in Mexico indicates that cases may be much higher than reported because testing capacity has been severely stretched.

Post-lockdown complacency a real danger In March 2020, each infected person was estimated to transmit the COVID-19 virus to between 1.5 and 3.5 other people, which was a higher infection rate than the seasonal flu. The coronavirus is primarily spread through respiratory droplets, and transmission commonly occurs when people are in close contact. As lockdowns ease around the world, people are being urged not to become complacent; continue to wear face coverings and practice social distancing, which can help to prevent further infections.

This statistic shows the overall mortality rate from infectious diseases in China from 2015 to 2021. In 2021, approximately 1.57 out of 100,000 people in China died due to communicable diseases, an increase from the year prior mainly due to the high mortality rate of the coronavirus infection.

Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest communicable diseases worldwide, causing around 1.4 million deaths per year. Communicable diseases, also known as infectious diseases, are spread from person to person either directly or indirectly, such as through an insect bite or ingesting contaminated food or water. Some of the deadliest communicable diseases include HIV/AIDS, malaria, hepatitis C, cholera, and measles. Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that affects the lungs. Tuberculosis disproportionately impacts the poorer, less developed countries of the world, such as in Africa and Southeast Asia. India reports the highest number of deaths from tuberculosis worldwide. HIV/AIDS Although deaths from HIV/AIDS have decreased over the last few decades, there were still around 630,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2023. Like many other communicable diseases, HIV/AIDS impacts developing regions more than the developed world. By far, the highest number of AIDS deaths come from Africa and Asia Pacific. Advancements in HIV treatment now allow those infected to live long and relatively normal lives, but access to treatment varies greatly.

The leading cause of death in low-income countries worldwide in 2021 was lower respiratory infections, followed by stroke and ischemic heart disease. The death rate from lower respiratory infections that year was 59.4 deaths per 100,000 people. While the death rate from stroke was around 51.6 per 100,000 people. Many low-income countries suffer from health issues not seen in high-income countries, including infectious diseases, malnutrition and neonatal deaths, to name a few. Low-income countries worldwide Low-income countries are defined as those with per gross national incomes (GNI) per capita of 1,045 U.S. dollars or less. A majority of the world’s low-income countries are located in sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia. Some of the lowest-income countries as of 2023 include Burundi, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan. Low-income countries have different health problems that lead to worse health outcomes. For example, Chad, Lesotho, and Nigeria have some of the lowest life expectancies on the planet. Health issues in low-income countries Low-income countries also tend to have higher rates of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases as a consequence of poor health infrastructure and a lack of qualified health workers. Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa have some of the highest rates of new HIV infections worldwide. Likewise, tuberculosis, a treatable condition that affects the respiratory system, has high incident rates in lower income countries. Other health issues can be affected by the income of a country as well, including maternal and infant mortality. In 2023, Afghanistan had one of the highest rates of infant mortality rates in the world.

In 2021, malignant neoplasms, commonly called cancer, was responsible for 24.61 percent of deaths caused by major diseases in urban China. Its mortality rate stood at 158.7 deaths per 100,000 population in 2021. Heart diseases and cerebrovascular disease were also among the top three death causes.

In the United States in 2021, the death rate was highest among those aged 85 and over, with about 17,190.5 men and 14,914.5 women per 100,000 of the population passing away. For all ages, the death rate was at 1,118.2 per 100,000 of the population for males, and 970.8 per 100,000 of the population for women. The death rate Death rates generally are counted as the number of deaths per 1,000 or 100,000 of the population and include both deaths of natural and unnatural causes. The death rate in the United States had pretty much held steady since 1990 until it started to increase over the last decade, with the highest death rates recorded in recent years. While the birth rate in the United States has been decreasing, it is still currently higher than the death rate. Causes of death There are a myriad number of causes of death in the United States, but the most recent data shows the top three leading causes of death to be heart disease, cancers, and accidents. Heart disease was also the leading cause of death worldwide.

This statistic shows the ranking of ten most fatal infectious diseases in China between January and July 2024, by number of deaths. During this period, over 11,600 people in China died from AIDS. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) has been the deadliest communicable disease in China since 2008.

In 2022, with just one death per one thousand people, Qatar was the country with the lowest death rate worldwide. This statistic shows a ranking of the 20 countries with the lowest death rates worldwide, as of 2022. Health in high-income countries Countries with the highest life expectancies are also often high-income countries with well-developed economic, social and health care systems, providing adequate resources and access to treatment for health concerns. Health care expenditure as a share of GDP varies per country; for example, spending in the United States is higher than in other OECD countries due to higher costs and prices for care services and products. In developed countries, the main burden of disease is often due to non-communicable diseases occurring in old age such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. High burden in low-income countries The countries with the lowest life expectancy worldwide are all in Africa- including Chad, Lesotho, and Nigeria- with life expectancies reaching up to 20 years shorter than the average global life expectancy. Leading causes of death in low-income countries include respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases, as these countries are often hit with the double burden of infectious diseases plus non-communicable diseases, such as those related to cardiovascular pathologies. Additionally, these countries often lack the resources and infrastructure to sustain effective healthcare systems and fail to provide appropriate access and treatment for their populations.

In 2021, the U.S. states with the highest death rates from Alzheimer’s disease were Mississippi, Alabama, and Vermont. At that time, the death rate due to Alzheimer’s disease in South Dakota was 44 per 100,000 population. However, the state with the highest total number of deaths due to Alzheimer’s disease that year was California, with 16,911 such deaths.

Alzheimer’s disease among the leading causes of death in the U.S. As of 2021, Alzheimer’s disease was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. The death rate due to Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S. has more than doubled over the past couple of decades, reaching an estimated 37 deaths per 100,000 population in 2019. Age is the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s, so it is no surprise that the death rate from the disease increases significantly with age. For example, in 2021, the Alzheimer’s death rate among those aged 85 years and older was 1,244 per 100,000 population, compared to a rate of 214 per 100,000 population among those aged 75 to 84 years.

How many people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s disease? It was estimated that in 2020, around 6.1 million people aged 65 years and older in the United States were living with Alzheimer’s disease. This figure is expected to increase to around 8.5 million by the year 2030. A rise in life expectancy and the increasing elderly population go some ways in explaining the increase in Alzheimer's in the United States. However, a growing number of Americans are also living with known modifiable Alzheimer’s risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.

The most common cause of death in Russia in 2023 was diseases of the circulatory system, with approximately 557 deaths per 100 thousand of the country's population. Furthermore, 197 deaths per 100 thousand population occurred due to neoplasms, which were the second leading cause of mortality in the country. The third most common cause was diseases of the nervous system, accounting for nearly 74 deaths per 100 thousand residents. Are there more births or deaths in Russia per year? In recent years, the annual number of deaths was higher than the count of births in Russia. The natural decrease in the population, calculated as the difference between deaths and births, was around one million in 2021. The number of deaths per one thousand population, also known as the mortality rate, increased from 16.7 in 2021 to 12.9 in 2022. How long do Russians live on average? Russian residents born in 2022 were expected to live an average of 73 years. The country had one of the largest gender gaps in life expectancy in OECD, according to the World Bank's World Development Indicators in 2021. Women were expected to live for approximately 10 years longer than men.

The leading causes of death in the United States are heart disease and cancer. However, in 2022, COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for around six percent of all deaths that year. In 2022, there were around 45 deaths from COVID-19 per 100,000 population.

Cardiovascular disease

Deaths from cardiovascular disease are more common among men than women but have decreased for both sexes over the past few decades. Coronary heart disease accounts for the highest portion of cardiovascular disease deaths in the United States, followed by stroke and high blood pressure. The states with the highest death rates from cardiovascular disease include Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Alabama. Smoking tobacco, physical inactivity, poor diet, stress, and being overweight or obese are all risk factors for developing heart disease.

Cancer

Although cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, like deaths from cardiovascular disease, deaths from cancer have decreased over the last few decades. The highest death rates from cancer come from lung cancer for both men and women. Breast cancer is the second deadliest cancer for women, while prostate cancer is the second deadliest cancer for men. West Virginia, Mississippi, and Kentucky lead the nation with the highest cancer death rates.

Preliminary figures for 2023 indicated that ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of death in the Philippines. The number of people who died from this illness was estimated at 124,437. Following this, cancer resulted in the deaths of about 71,000 people. Eating habits Heart diseases have been linked to high meat consumption, among others. In the Philippines, pork has been the most consumed meat type, followed closely by chicken. While pork meat is typically produced domestically, the country also imports pork to supplement its supply. However, plant-based food has started gaining popularity among Filipinos. In fact, a 2024 survey revealed that 69 percent of surveyed Filipinos consumed plant-based products, including meat alternatives. Common diseases in the Philippines Aside from heart and cerebrovascular diseases, the Filipino population is also exposed to infections, diabetes, skin diseases, and illnesses resulting from high meat consumption. In 2020, over 700,000 Filipinos contracted acute respiratory tract infections, followed by over 400,000 diagnosed with hypertension. In areas with high exposure to rain, dengue infections and leptospirosis have also become prevalent.

This statistic shows the top 20 counties in the United States based on heart disease death rate among the 35+ population in the period 2014-2016. The heart disease death rate of the 35+ population in Franklin county in the state of Louisiana was the highest, with 1,170.5 deaths from heart disease per every 100,000 of that age group.

In 2023, nearly 142 men and 101 women per 100,000 population died from diseases of the respiratory system in England. The North West of England had the highest mortality from respiratory diseases for men at roughly 169 per 100,000, while the North East region had the highest female mortality rate at 127 deaths per 100,000 population.

In 2021, the leading causes of death in Africa were lower respiratory infections, malaria, and stroke. That year, lower respiratory infections resulted in around 65 deaths per 100,000 population in Africa. Leading causes of death in Africa vs the world Worldwide, the top three leading causes of death in 2021 were heart disease, COVID-19, and stroke. At that time, some of the leading causes of death in Africa, such as lower respiratory infections and stroke, were among the leading causes worldwide, but there were also stark differences in the leading causes of death in Africa compared to the leading causes worldwide. For example, malaria, diarrheal disease, and preterm birth complications were among the top ten leading causes of death in Africa, but not worldwide. Furthermore, HIV/AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death in Africa at that time, but was not among the top ten leading causes worldwide. HIV/AIDS in Africa Although HIV/AIDS impacts every region of the world, Africa is still the region most impacted by this deadly virus. Worldwide, there are around 40 million people currently living with HIV, with about 20.8 million found in Eastern and Southern Africa and 5.1 million in Western and Central Africa. The countries with the highest HIV prevalence worldwide include Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa, with the leading 20 countries by HIV prevalence all found in Africa. However, due in part to improvements in education and awareness, the prevalence of HIV in many African countries has decreased. For example, in Botswana, the prevalence of HIV decreased from 26.1 percent to 16.6 percent in the period from 2000 to 2023.

In 2023, there were approximately 750.5 deaths by all causes per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States. This statistic shows the death rate for all causes in the United States between 1950 and 2023. Causes of death in the U.S. Over the past decades, chronic conditions and non-communicable diseases have come to the forefront of health concerns and have contributed to major causes of death all over the globe. In 2022, the leading cause of death in the U.S. was heart disease, followed by cancer. However, the death rates for both heart disease and cancer have decreased in the U.S. over the past two decades. On the other hand, the number of deaths due to Alzheimer’s disease – which is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease- has increased by almost 141 percent between 2000 and 2021. Risk and lifestyle factors Lifestyle factors play a major role in cardiovascular health and the development of various diseases and conditions. Modifiable lifestyle factors that are known to reduce risk of both cancer and cardiovascular disease among people of all ages include smoking cessation, maintaining a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. An estimated two million new cases of cancer in the U.S. are expected in 2025.