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 2021, heart diseases were responsible for 25.36 percent of deaths caused by major diseases in rural China. Its mortality rate stood at 188.58 deaths per 100,000 population in 2021, much higher than that in urban China.

In 2024, the total number of deaths in China amounted to around 10.93 million. The number of deaths increased slightly but steadily over the past two decades, only disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. This trend is mainly related to China’s demographic development and is expected to accelerate in the upcoming years. China’s aging society China had the second largest population on earth in 2024. However, population growth in China has gradually decreased over the last decades and finally turned negative in 2022. Together with steadily improving health standards and growing life expectancy, this has led to a quickly aging society. As relatively large age cohorts are now reaching the years of retirement, the number of elderly in the country is projected to increase quickly. This is especially visible in the number of people aged 80 years and above, which is expected to rise more than four-fold from 32 million in 2020 to 132 million in 2050. This development will probably be the main factor leading to a growing number of mortalities in China in the upcoming years. China’s mortality rate in comparison Globally, China’s mortality rate is at a low range at slightly less than eight deaths per thousand inhabitants annually. The low mortality rate was a result of political stability and steady improvements in the health system. As the Chinese population grows older, cancer, heart attacks, and cerebrovascular diseases are increasingly common causes of death. In comparison to most Western countries, the number of fatalities due to COVID-19 was low in 2020 and 2021, but there was a slight excess mortality in 2023 and. Most common infectious diseases with high death rates in China were AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B in 2021.

Number of Deaths by Leading Causes of Death for the Period from 2001 to 2017

Provides the top ten leading causes of death in Hsinchu County in the 110th year of the Republic of China

This statistic presents the results of a survey on perceived leading causes of death through interpersonal violence in China as of 2018. According to data published by Ipsos, Chinese respondents overestimated the number of violent deaths caused by firearms and knives. Around 21 percent of respondents thought that most people killed through interpersonal violence died from firearms, when the actual share of firearm victims was around four percent of all violent deaths in China.

Additional file 1. Age-specific mortality rate in different areas in 2004 and 2014, China.

BackgroundChina's rapid economic and social development since the early 2000s has caused significant shifts in its epidemiological transition, potentially leading to health disparities across regions.ObjectivesThis study employs Life Expectancy (LE) to assess health disparities and trends among China's eastern, central, and western regions. It also examines the pace of LE gains relative to empirical trends and investigates age and causes of death mortality improvement contributing to regional LE gaps.Data and methodsUsing a log-quadratic model, the study estimates LE in China and its regions from 2004 to 2020, using census and death cause surveillance data. It also utilizes the Human Mortality Database (HMD) and the LE gains by LE level approach to analyze China and its regions' LE gains in comparison to empirical trend of developed countries. The study investigates changes in LE gaps due to age and causes of death mortality improvements during two periods, 2004–2012 and 2012–2020, through the LE factor decomposition method.ResultsFrom 2000 to 2020, China's LE exhibited faster pace of gains compared to developed countries. While men's LE growth gradually aligns with empirical trends, women experience slightly higher growth rates. Regional LE disparities significantly reduced from 2004 to 2012, with a marginal reduction from 2012 to 2020. In the latter period, the changing LE gap aligns with expected trends in developed countries, with all Chinese regions surpassing empirical estimates. Cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms emerged as the primary contributors to expanding regional LE gaps, with neurological disorders and diabetes playing an increasingly negative role.ConclusionLE disparities in China have consistently decreased, although at a slower pace in recent years, mirroring empirical trends. To further reduce regional LE disparities, targeted efforts should focus on improving mortality rates related to cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms, neurological disorders and diabetes, especially in the western region. Effective health interventions should prioritize equalizing basic public health services nationwide.

ObjectivesWe aimed to elucidate trends in the crude mortality rate (CMR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and burden of mental disorders (MD) in China.MethodsA longitudinal observational study was performed using the data of MD deaths in the National Disease Surveillance System (DSPs) during 2009–2019. The mortality rates were normalized using the Segis global population. Trends in the mortality of MDs stratified by age, gender, region, and residency, respectively. The burden of MD was evaluated using age-standardized person years of life loss per 100,000 people (SPYLLs) and average years of life lost (AYLL).ResultA total of 18,178 MD deaths occurred during 2009–2019, accounting for 0.13% of total deaths, and 68.3% of MD deaths occurred in rural areas. The CMR of MD in China was 0.75/100,00 persons (ASMR: 0.62/100,000 persons). The ASMR of all MDs decreased mainly due to the decrease in ASMR in rural residents. Schizophrenia and alcohol use disorder (AUD) were the leading causes of death in MD patients. The ASMR of schizophrenia and AUD was higher in rural residents than in urban residents. The ASMR of MD was highest in the 40–64 age group. As the leading causes of MD burden, the SPYLL and AYLL of schizophrenia were 7.76 person-years and 22.30 years, respectively.ConclusionAlthough the ASMR of all MDs decreased during 2009–2019, schizophrenia and AUD were still the most important causes of death for MDs. Targeted efforts focusing on men, rural residents, and the 40–64 years old population should be strengthened to decrease MD-related premature deaths.

Cancer was responsible for around 2.6 million deaths in China in 2022. Although treatment methods have significantly improved in the past few decades, cancer remained the second leading cause of death among China’s urban population, and the third leading cause of death among the rural population. Lung cancer was by far the leading cause of cancer deaths in China, making up more than a quarter of all cancer deaths. It has killed over 733 thousand patients in 2022.

Surviving cancer

Cancer is a diverse group of diseases, and the survival rates for it can vary significantly depending on the type of cancer. Certain cancers, such as prostate and thyroid cancers are generally less dangerous, as the development of tumors is slow, and treatments for these are effective. On the other hand, some of the other types of cancer, particularly pancreatic cancer, can develop at faster rates, invading organs nearby or developing metastases more easily. Consequently, this can be more challenging to detect or treat, thereby, resulting in low survival rates. The number of deaths resulting from pancreatic cancer is almost identical to the number of incidences in China, with 106,295 deaths and 118,672 new cases in 2022.

Risk factors

It is difficult to determine an individual’s cancer risks, but it is now clear that certain elements can increase the probability of developing the disease. In China, hearly half of the deaths from cancer were caused by risk factors that are preventable. These include smoking, lack of physical activities, unhealthy diet, alcohol consumption, obesity, diabetes, infectious diseases, and environmental factors like air pollution. Smoking has long been one of the most eminent causes of cancer deaths in China. Close to a quarter of male cancer deaths and one in 20 female cancer deaths are attributed to it. As more than one in four people aged 15 and above in China are smokers, smoking cessation can contribute significantly to the reduction of cancer incidences and deaths in the country. 

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.

Please provide the top ten causes of cancer deaths in Hsinchu County in 2023.

In 2022, cancer caused more than 2.5 million deaths in China, making it one of the major causes of death in the country. Lung cancer was by far the most lethal type of cancer, killing more than 733,000 patients. Other dangerous types include liver, stomach, and oesophageal cancers. Breast cancer, although the sixth most common cancer in terms of new cases, was relatively less deadly than many other types, with less than 75,000 victims.

The burden of cancer in China The high prevalence of cancer carries heavy burdens for patients, their families, and China's healthcare providers. As a group of serious chronic conditions, some cancers are characterized by their low cure rates and increased risks of relapse. At the same time, cancer treatments often require advanced medical resources, usually only found in tier-three general hospitals or specialist cancer institutions. Expensive targeted drugs and imported pharmaceuticals are often necessary to treat cancer patients, thus imposing financial burdens on the patients and their families. Due to the continuous improvement of China's medical insurance system, the financial burden inflicted by cancer has been significantly reduced in many regions.

Challenges to reducing cancer rates
In China, reducing the prevalence of cancer has proven particularly challenging. The incidence of lung cancer remains very high in the country, primarily attributed to high smoking rates and air pollution. At the same time, some dietary habits unique to China, including the preference for consuming very hot water and dishes, have also contributed significantly to the high rates of stomach and oesophageal cancers.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is among leading causes of death globally. Exposure to outdoor pollution is an important cause for increased mortality and morbidity. This study presents a systemic review regarding the impact of outdoor pollution on COPD mortality in South Asia and China.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted from 1990 to June 30th 2020 in English electronic databases: PubMed, Google Scholar and CDSR (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The following terms were used: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease OR COPD OR Chronic Bronchitis OR Emphysema OR COPD Deaths OR Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease OR Airflow Obstruction OR Chronic Airflow Obstruction OR Airflow Obstruction, Chronic OR Bronchitis, Chronic AND Mortality OR Death OR Deceased AND Outdoor pollution, ambient pollution was conducted.

Results: Out of 1899 papers screened only 17 were found eligible to be included. Subjects with COPD exposed to higher levels of outdoor air pollution had a 49% higher risk of death as compared to COPD subjects exposed to lower levels of outdoor air pollution. When taking common air pollutants individually into consideration, PM10 had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.99 respectively at CI 95%, whereas SO2 had OR of 1.8 at 95% CI, and NO2 had an OR of 1.23 OR at 95% CI. These values suggest that there is an effect of outdoor pollution on COPD but not to a significant level.

Conclusion: Despite heterogeneity across selected studies, individuals exposed to outdoor pollutants were found to be at risk of COPD mortality. Though it appears to have risk, COPD mortality was not significantly associated with outdoor pollutants. Controlling air pollution can substantially decrease the risk of COPD in South Asia and China. Further researches including more prospective and longitudinal studies are urgently needed in COPD sub-groups.

This dataset contains data from WHO's data portal covering the following categories:

Adolescent, Ageing, Air pollution, Assistive technology, Child, Child mortality, Cross-cutting, Dementia diagnosis, treatment and care, Environment and health, Foodborne Diseases Estimates, Global Dementia Observatory (GDO), Global Health Estimates: Life expectancy and leading causes of death and disability, Global Information System on Alcohol and Health, Global Patient Safety Observatory, Global strategy, HIV, Health financing, Health systems, Health taxes, Health workforce, Hepatitis, Immunization coverage and vaccine-preventable diseases, Malaria, Maternal and newborn, Maternal and reproductive health, Mental health, Neglected tropical diseases, Noncommunicable diseases, Nutrition, Oral Health, Priority health technologies, Resources for Substance Use Disorders, Road Safety, SDG Target 3.8 | Achieve universal health coverage (UHC), Sexually Transmitted Infections, Tobacco control, Tuberculosis, Vaccine-preventable communicable diseases, Violence prevention, Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), World Health Statistics.

For links to individual indicator metadata, see resource descriptions.

This dataset contains data from WHO's data portal covering the following categories:

Adolescent, Ageing, Air pollution, Assistive technology, Child, Child mortality, Cross-cutting, Dementia diagnosis, treatment and care, Environment and health, Foodborne Diseases Estimates, Global Dementia Observatory (GDO), Global Health Estimates: Life expectancy and leading causes of death and disability, Global Information System on Alcohol and Health, Global Patient Safety Observatory, Global strategy, HIV, Health financing, Health systems, Health taxes, Health workforce, Hepatitis, Immunization coverage and vaccine-preventable diseases, Malaria, Maternal and newborn, Maternal and reproductive health, Mental health, Neglected tropical diseases, Noncommunicable diseases, Nutrition, Oral Health, Priority health technologies, Resources for Substance Use Disorders, Road Safety, SDG Target 3.8 | Achieve universal health coverage (UHC), Sexually Transmitted Infections, Tobacco control, Tuberculosis, Vaccine-preventable communicable diseases, Violence prevention, Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), World Health Statistics.

For links to individual indicator metadata, see resource descriptions.

BackgroundCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are not only the primary cause of mortality in China but also represent a significant financial burden. The World Health Organization highlight that as China undergoes rapid socioeconomic development, its disease spectrum is gradually shifting towards that of developed countries, with increasing prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases such as ischemic heart disease and stroke. We reviewed the rates and trends of CVDs incidence, mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) burden in China and compared them with those in the United States (US) and Japan for formulating CVDs control policies.MethodsData on CVDs incidence, death and DALYs in China, the US and Japan were obtained from the GBD 2019 database. The Joinpoint regression model was used to analyze the trends in CVDs incidence and mortality in China, the US and Japan, calculate the annual percentage change and determine the best-fitting inflection points.ResultsIn 2019, there were approximately 12,341,074 new diagnosed cases of CVDs in China, with 4,584,273 CVDs related deaths, causing 91,933,122 DALYs. The CVDs age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) in China (538.10/100,000) was lower than that in the US and globally, while age-standardized death rate (ASDR) (276.9/100,000) and age-standardized DALY rate (6,463.47/100,000) were higher than those in the two regions. Compared with the US and Japan, from 1990 to 2019, the CVDs incidence rate in China showed an increasing trend, with a lower annual decrease in ASDR and a younger age structure of disease burden. Furthermore, the disease spectrum in China changed minimally, with stroke, ischemic heart disease, and hypertensive heart disease being the top three leading CVDs diseases in terms of incidence and disease burden, also being the major causes of CVDs in the US and Japan.ConclusionThe prevention and control of CVDs is a global issue. The aging population and increasing unhealthy lifestyles will continue to increase the burden in China. Therefore, relevant departments in China should reference the established practices for CVDs control in developed countries while considering the diversity of CVDs in different regions when adjusting national CVDs control programs.

This dataset contains data from WHO's data portal covering the following categories:

Adolescent, Ageing, Air pollution, Assistive technology, Child, Child mortality, Cross-cutting, Dementia diagnosis, treatment and care, Environment and health, Foodborne Diseases Estimates, Global Dementia Observatory (GDO), Global Health Estimates: Life expectancy and leading causes of death and disability, Global Information System on Alcohol and Health, Global Patient Safety Observatory, Global strategy, HIV, Health financing, Health systems, Health taxes, Health workforce, Hepatitis, Immunization coverage and vaccine-preventable diseases, Malaria, Maternal and newborn, Maternal and reproductive health, Mental health, Neglected tropical diseases, Noncommunicable diseases, Nutrition, Oral Health, Priority health technologies, Resources for Substance Use Disorders, Road Safety, SDG Target 3.8 | Achieve universal health coverage (UHC), Sexually Transmitted Infections, Tobacco control, Tuberculosis, Vaccine-preventable communicable diseases, Violence prevention, Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), World Health Statistics.

For links to individual indicator metadata, see resource descriptions.

In 2023, China recorded 60,028 fatalities in traffic accidents across the country. The number of fatalities has increased from 60,676in the previous year. Road traffic in China The number of road traffic fatalities in China varies greatly from region to region. Guangdong and Hubei had been the provinces with the highest number of traffic fatalities. All located in the eastern coastal area of China, they had also been the regions with the most traffic accidents in 2023. On the contrary, only a small number of fatalities had been reported in central and western regions of China. Reasons for this imbalance may be found in less traffic volume as well as the existence of fewer urban congested areas.Since 2016, the number of casualties and fatalities from traffic accidents in China has increased significantly, reaching 25,3895 injuries and 60,028 deaths in 2023. Nevertheless, traffic accidents have emerged as one of the leading causes of death in China. The primary reasons may be unregulated road works and a lack of awareness among Chinese drivers. The development of neither road infrastructure nor driving behavior in China had been able to keep up with the increasing number of traffic participants and registered cars. As of 2003, only 24 million vehicles had been registered in China, whereas by 2019 that number had skyrocketed to 253.76 million cars. In 2023 alone, the number of newly registered vehicles in China had amounted to around 24.5 million cars.

ObjectiveTrauma is China's fifth leading cause of death and ranked first among youths. Trauma databases have been well-established in many countries to announce the current state of trauma rescue, treatment and care. Nevertheless, China hasn't yet established a comparable database. This paper included two national-level databases in China to describe the current situation of trauma treatment and the epidemiological characteristics of trauma incidence, which sought to provide data support for decision-making, resource allocation, trauma prevention, trauma management, and other aspects.MethodsThis study used the diagnosis and treatment data from the Hospital Quality Monitoring System (HQMS) and the China Trauma Rescue and Treatment Association (CTRTA) in 2019. A descriptive analysis was conducted to explore the demographic characteristics, trauma causes, injury degrees of trauma patients, disease burden and mortality rates in the abstracted hospitalized cases.ResultsA total of 4,532,029 trauma patients were included, of which 4,436,653 were from HQMS and 95,376 from CTRTA respectively. The age group with the highest proportion is 50-54 years old (493,320 [11.12%] in HQMS and 12,025 [12.61%] in CTRTA). Fall was the most frequent cause of trauma hospitalization, accounting for 40.51% of all cases, followed by traffic injuries, accounting for 25.22%. However, for trauma patients aged between 20 and 24 years old, the most common cause of injury was traffic accidents (28.20%). Hospital expenses for trauma patients in 2019 exceeded 100.30 billion yuan, which increases significantly with age, and fall costs the most. The mortality rate of trauma inpatients was 0.77%, which gradually increased with age after 30-year-old, and was the highest in the age group above 85 (1.86%).ConclusionThis paper summarizes the demographic characteristics, trauma causes distribution, disease burden, mortality rate, and other relative data of inpatients in 2019, which can now be used as an up-to-date clinical evidence base for national healthcare prevention and management in China.