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.

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.

Data for deaths by leading cause of death categories are now available in the death profiles dataset for each geographic granularity.

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.

Cause of death categories for years 1999 and later are based on tenth revision of International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) codes. Comparable categories are provided for years 1979 through 1998 based on ninth revision (ICD-9) codes. For more information on the comparability of cause of death classification between ICD revisions see Comparability of Cause-of-death Between ICD Revisions.

In 2021, ischemic heart disease and COVID-19 were the leading causes of death worldwide, reaching around 114 and 110 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. This statistic shows the rates of the 10 leading causes of death around the world in 2021.

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.

Historical chart and dataset showing World death rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

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.

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;

BackgroundGlobal and regional projections of mortality and burden of disease by cause for the years 2000, 2010, and 2030 were published by Murray and Lopez in 1996 as part of the Global Burden of Disease project. These projections, which are based on 1990 data, continue to be widely quoted, although they are substantially outdated; in particular, they substantially underestimated the spread of HIV/AIDS. To address the widespread demand for information on likely future trends in global health, and thereby to support international health policy and priority setting, we have prepared new projections of mortality and burden of disease to 2030 starting from World Health Organization estimates of mortality and burden of disease for 2002. This paper describes the methods, assumptions, input data, and results. Methods and FindingsRelatively simple models were used to project future health trends under three scenarios—baseline, optimistic, and pessimistic—based largely on projections of economic and social development, and using the historically observed relationships of these with cause-specific mortality rates. Data inputs have been updated to take account of the greater availability of death registration data and the latest available projections for HIV/AIDS, income, human capital, tobacco smoking, body mass index, and other inputs. In all three scenarios there is a dramatic shift in the distribution of deaths from younger to older ages and from communicable, maternal, perinatal, and nutritional causes to noncommunicable disease causes. The risk of death for children younger than 5 y is projected to fall by nearly 50% in the baseline scenario between 2002 and 2030. The proportion of deaths due to noncommunicable disease is projected to rise from 59% in 2002 to 69% in 2030. Global HIV/AIDS deaths are projected to rise from 2.8 million in 2002 to 6.5 million in 2030 under the baseline scenario, which assumes coverage with antiretroviral drugs reaches 80% by 2012. Under the optimistic scenario, which also assumes increased prevention activity, HIV/AIDS deaths are projected to drop to 3.7 million in 2030. Total tobacco-attributable deaths are projected to rise from 5.4 million in 2005 to 6.4 million in 2015 and 8.3 million in 2030 under our baseline scenario. Tobacco is projected to kill 50% more people in 2015 than HIV/AIDS, and to be responsible for 10% of all deaths globally. The three leading causes of burden of disease in 2030 are projected to include HIV/AIDS, unipolar depressive disorders, and ischaemic heart disease in the baseline and pessimistic scenarios. Road traffic accidents are the fourth leading cause in the baseline scenario, and the third leading cause ahead of ischaemic heart disease in the optimistic scenario. Under the baseline scenario, HIV/AIDS becomes the leading cause of burden of disease in middle- and low-income countries by 2015. ConclusionsThese projections represent a set of three visions of the future for population health, based on certain explicit assumptions. Despite the wide uncertainty ranges around future projections, they enable us to appreciate better the implications for health and health policy of currently observed trends, and the likely impact of fairly certain future trends, such as the ageing of the population, the continued spread of HIV/AIDS in many regions, and the continuation of the epidemiological transition in developing countries. The results depend strongly on the assumption that future mortality trends in poor countries will have a relationship to economic and social development similar to those that have occurred in the higher-income countries.

In 2021, the leading causes of death worldwide were ischemic heart disease, COVID-19, and stroke. That year, ischemic heart disease caused over nine million deaths, while COVID-19 resulted in 8.7 million deaths. In 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the leading causes of death worldwide were ischemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

What are people dying from?

This question is essential to guide decisions in public health, and find ways to save lives.

Many leading causes of death receive little mainstream attention. If news reports reflected what children died from, they would say that around 1,400 young children die from diarrheal diseases, 1,000 die from malaria, and 1,900 from respiratory infections – every day.

This can change. Over time, death rates from these causes have declined across the world.

A better understanding of the causes of death has led to the development of technologies, preventative measures, and better healthcare, reducing the chances of dying from a wide range of different causes, across all age groups.

In the past, infectious diseases dominated. But death rates from infectious diseases have fallen quickly – faster than other causes. This has led to a shift in the leading causes of death. Now, non-communicable diseases – such as heart diseases and cancers – are the most common causes of death globally.

More progress is possible, and the impact of causes of death can fall further.

On this page, you will find global data and research on leading causes of death and how they can be prevented.

This data can also help understand the burden of disease more broadly, and offer a lens to see the impacts of healthcare and medicine, habits and behaviours, environmental factors, health infrastructure, and more.

By Saloni Dattani, Fiona Spooner, Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser

In 2021, COVID-19 caused about *** deaths per 100,000 population in high-income countries. This statistic displays the leading causes of death in high-income countries in 2021 by deaths per 100,000 population. Mortality from chronic diseases such as cancer and heart diseases are increasing around the world. Chronic deaths are especially prominent in Western countries, but have also recently began to increase in the developing world. Non-communicable disease burden This increase in chronic and degenerative non-communicable diseases globally stems from aging populations, modernization, and rapid urbanization. Though these are all signs of socioeconomic progress, the resulting shift in disease carries a heavy burden for societies. Health expenditure makes up around ** percent or more of the GDP in most high-income countries, and the global spending on medicines is expected to more than double from 2010 to 2027. Non-communicable disease risk factors and prevention In most OECD countries, over 30 percent of adults are overweight. Lack of exercise, poor nutrition, and generally unhealthy lifestyles can often lead to a cluster of symptoms including abnormal blood levels, high blood pressure, and excess body fat, which in turn pose an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. However, most non-communicable diseases are preventable, and their modifiable risk factors can be lowered through lifestyle and behavioral changes.

The global landscape of mortality has undergone significant changes from 1990 to 2021, but cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide. In 2021, cardiovascular diseases accounted for 28.6 percent of all deaths, followed by cancers at 14.6 percent. Notably, COVID-19 emerged as the third leading cause of death in 2021, responsible for 11.6 percent of global fatalities. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic The emergence of COVID-19 as a major cause of death underscores the profound impact of the pandemic on global health. By May 2023, the virus had infected over 687 million people worldwide and claimed nearly 6.87 million lives. The United States, India, and Brazil were among the most severely affected countries. The pandemic's effects extended beyond direct mortality, influencing healthcare systems and potentially exacerbating other health conditions. Shifts in global health priorities While infectious diseases like COVID-19 have gained prominence, long-term health trends reveal significant progress in certain areas. The proportion of neonatal deaths decreased from 6.4 percent in 1990 to 2.7 percent in 2021, reflecting improvements in maternal and child health care. However, challenges persist in addressing malnutrition and hunger, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The Global Hunger Index 2024 identified Somalia, Yemen, and Chad as the countries most affected by hunger and malnutrition, highlighting the ongoing need for targeted interventions in these regions.

Bolivia BO: Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data was reported at 72.676 % in 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 70.254 % for 2015. Bolivia BO: Cause of Death: by Non-Communicable Diseases: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 67.435 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2019, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 72.676 % in 2019 and a record low of 53.198 % in 2000. Bolivia BO: 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 Bolivia – Table BO.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;

Cambodia KH: Cause of Death: by Communicable Diseases & Maternal, Prenatal & Nutrition Conditions: % of Total data was reported at 23.034 % in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 27.078 % for 2015. Cambodia KH: Cause of Death: by Communicable Diseases & Maternal, Prenatal & Nutrition Conditions: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 30.154 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2019, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 52.752 % in 2000 and a record low of 23.034 % in 2019. Cambodia KH: Cause of Death: by Communicable Diseases & Maternal, Prenatal & Nutrition Conditions: % of Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Cambodia – Table KH.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Cause of death refers to the share of all deaths for all ages by underlying causes. Communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions include infectious and parasitic diseases, respiratory infections, and nutritional deficiencies such as underweight and stunting.;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 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;

In 1990, Ischemic heart disease and stroke were the leading causes of death worldwide, reaching around 159 and 144 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. This statistic shows the rates of the 10 leading causes of death around the world in 1990.

Costa Rica CR: Cause of Death: by Injury: % of Total data was reported at 10.879 % in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.597 % for 2015. Costa Rica CR: Cause of Death: by Injury: % of Total data is updated yearly, averaging 11.716 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2019, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.142 % in 2000 and a record low of 10.879 % in 2019. Costa Rica CR: 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 Costa Rica – Table CR.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;

Analysis of ‘😷 NYC Leading Causes of Death’ provided by Analyst-2 (analyst-2.ai), based on source dataset retrieved from https://www.kaggle.com/yamqwe/nyc-leading-causes-of-deathe on 13 February 2022.

--- Dataset description provided by original source is as follows ---

About this dataset

NYC Leading Causes of Death Data

Rows: 3840; Columns: 6

The data includes items, such as:

• Year
• Ethnicity
• Sex
• Cause of Death
• Count
• Percent

Source: NYC Open Data

https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Health/New-York-City-Leading-Causes-of-Death/jb7j-dtam

This dataset was created by Data Society and contains around 4000 samples along with Ethnicity, Sex, technical information and other features such as: - Percent - Count - and more.

How to use this dataset

• Analyze Cause Of Death in relation to Year
• Study the influence of Ethnicity on Sex
• More datasets

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit Data Society

Start A New Notebook!

--- Original source retains full ownership of the source dataset ---

Every year the CDC releases the country’s most detailed report on death in the United States under the National Vital Statistics Systems. This mortality dataset is a record of every death in the country for 2005 through 2015, including detailed information about causes of death and the demographic background of the deceased.

It's been said that "statistics are human beings with the tears wiped off." This is especially true with this dataset. Each death record represents somebody's loved one, often connected with a lifetime of memories and sometimes tragically too short.

Putting the sensitive nature of the topic aside, analyzing mortality data is essential to understanding the complex circumstances of death across the country. The US Government uses this data to determine life expectancy and understand how death in the U.S. differs from the rest of the world. Whether you’re looking for macro trends or analyzing unique circumstances, we challenge you to use this dataset to find your own answers to one of life’s great mysteries.

Overview

This dataset is a collection of CSV files each containing one year's worth of data and paired JSON files containing the code mappings, plus an ICD 10 code set. The CSVs were reformatted from their original fixed-width file formats using information extracted from the CDC's PDF manuals using this script. Please note that this process may have introduced errors as the text extracted from the pdf is not a perfect match. If you have any questions or find errors in the preparation process, please leave a note in the forums. We hope to publish additional years of data using this method soon.

A more detailed overview of the data can be found here. You'll find that the fields are consistent within this time window, but some of data codes change every few years. For example, the 113_cause_recode entry 069 only covers ICD codes (I10,I12) in 2005, but by 2015 it covers (I10,I12,I15). When I post data from years prior to 2005, expect some of the fields themselves to change as well.

All data comes from the CDC’s National Vital Statistics Systems, with the exception of the Icd10Code, which are sourced from the World Health Organization.

Project ideas

• The CDC's mortality data was the basis of a widely publicized paper, by Anne Case and Nobel prize winner Angus Deaton, arguing that middle-aged whites are dying at elevated rates. One of the criticisms against the paper is that it failed to properly account for the exact ages within the broad bins available through the CDC's WONDER tool. What do these results look like with exact/not-binned age data?
• Similarly, how sensitive are the mortality trends being discussed in the news to the choice of bin-widths?
• As noted above, the data preparation process could have introduced errors. Can you find any discrepancies compared to the aggregate metrics on WONDER? If so, please let me know in the forums!
• WONDER is cited in numerous economics, sociology, and public health research papers. Can you find any papers whose conclusions would be altered if they used the exact data available here rather than binned data from Wonder?

Differences from the first version of the dataset

• This version of the dataset was prepared in a completely different many. This has allowed us to provide a much larger volume of data and ensure that codes are available for every field.
• We've replaced the batch of sql files with a single JSON per year. Kaggle's platform currently offer's better support for JSON files, and this keeps the number of files manageable.
• A tutorial kernel providing a quick introduction to the new format is available here.
• Lastly, I apologize if the transition has interrupted anyone's work! If need be, you can still download v1.