Top 10 worldwide causes of death (global, all ages, both sex…
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Date 25-09-13 01:57
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Top 10 worldwide causes of death (global, all ages, both sexes, 2019)
(From WHO Global Health Estimates; values are rounded point estimates.)
Ischaemic heart disease — ~8.9 million deaths.
세계 보건 기구
Stroke — ~6.1 million.
세계 보건 기구
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — ~3.2 million.
세계 보건 기구
Lower respiratory infections — ~2.6 million.
세계 보건 기구
Neonatal conditions — ~2.0 million.
세계 보건 기구
Trachea, bronchus, and lung cancers — ~1.8 million.
세계 보건 기구
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias — ~1.6 million.
세계 보건 기구
Diarrhoeal diseases — ~1.5 million.
세계 보건 기구
Diabetes mellitus — ~1.37 million.
세계 보건 기구
Chronic kidney disease — ~1.3 million.
세계 보건 기구
For a more up-to-date, post-pandemic ranking (e.g., GBD 2021 where COVID-19 appears among the leading causes), see the 2024 Lancet GBD release and IHME’s results portal. I can produce a ranked Top-100 from that dataset on request.
The Lancet
+1
100 leading causes of death (English descriptions, grouped by system)
These are cause-list level (GBD/WHO-style) conditions that collectively cover the overwhelming majority of global mortality. Ordering below is grouped, not ranked within each section.
Cardiovascular & circulatory
Ischaemic (coronary) heart disease — heart muscle death from blocked coronary arteries.
Stroke (ischaemic and haemorrhagic) — brain injury from blocked or ruptured blood vessels.
Hypertensive heart disease — heart failure/complications due to chronic high blood pressure.
Cardiomyopathy & myocarditis — heart muscle disease/inflammation impairing pumping function.
Rheumatic heart disease — valve damage after untreated streptococcal infection.
Atrial fibrillation & flutter — rhythm disorder raising stroke and heart-failure risk.
Aortic aneurysm/dissection — catastrophic tearing/rupture of the aorta.
Peripheral artery disease — limb vessel narrowing causing ischaemia and complications.
Endocarditis — heart-valve infection with septic emboli/heart failure risk.
Venous thromboembolism (DVT/PE) — clots in deep veins and lungs.
Respiratory
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — progressive airflow limitation (emphysema/chronic bronchitis).
Lower respiratory infections — pneumonia/bronchitis, bacterial or viral.
Lung (trachea/bronchus) cancer — malignant tumors of the airways/lung parenchyma.
Asthma — acute and chronic airway inflammation with fatal exacerbations.
Tuberculosis — Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (pulmonary/extrapulmonary).
Interstitial lung diseases & pulmonary fibrosis — scarring that stiffens lungs.
Occupational pneumoconioses — dust-related scarring (e.g., silicosis).
Upper respiratory infections with severe complications — epiglottitis/laryngotracheitis.
Influenza — seasonal flu with secondary bacterial pneumonia risk.
COVID-19 — acute viral respiratory/systemic disease with thrombo-inflammatory sequelae.
The Lancet
Cancers (neoplasms)
Colorectal cancer — malignancy of colon/rectum.
Stomach (gastric) cancer — H. pylori and dietary risks are major contributors.
Liver cancer (hepatocellular; incl. HBV/HCV-related) — chronic viral infection/alcohol/NASH.
Breast cancer — most common female cancer; metastatic disease is fatal.
Prostate cancer — hormone-driven malignancy in males.
Pancreatic cancer — aggressive tumor with late detection, poor survival.
Oesophageal cancer — squamous/adenocarcinoma linked to smoking, alcohol, reflux.
Cervical cancer — HPV-driven; preventable via vaccination/screening.
Leukaemias — malignant blood/ marrow disorders (acute/chronic).
Brain & nervous system cancers — gliomas/medulloblastomas, etc.
Ovarian cancer — often presents late with peritoneal spread.
Kidney cancer — renal cell carcinoma; smoking, hypertension as risks.
Bladder cancer — urothelial tumors; smoking/chemical exposure risks.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma — B/T-cell lymphoid malignancies.
Hodgkin lymphoma — Reed–Sternberg cell lymphoma, curable but fatal if untreated.
Multiple myeloma — malignant plasma-cell disorder causing marrow/renal failure.
Laryngeal cancer — smoking/alcohol linked; airway compromise risk.
Oral cavity cancer — tobacco/betel/HPV-related lesions.
Nasopharyngeal cancer — EBV-associated; prevalent in East/Southeast Asia.
Gallbladder & biliary tract cancers — obstructive cholestasis/sepsis risk.
Thyroid cancer (aggressive forms) — anaplastic or metastatic variants.
Malignant melanoma — high metastatic potential; UV exposure risk.
Neurological & mental health
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias — neurodegeneration causing fatal complications.
Parkinson’s disease — neurodegeneration with aspiration pneumonia/fall risks.
Epilepsy (status epilepticus/accidents) — uncontrolled seizures leading to death.
Motor neuron disease (e.g., ALS) — respiratory failure from progressive weakness.
Meningitis — bacterial/viral meningeal infection; septic shock/herniation risk.
Encephalitis — brain inflammation (viral/autoimmune).
Stroke (listed above) remains the dominant neurological killer.
Substance use disorders (alcohol/drugs) — overdose, arrhythmia, liver failure, accidents.
Schizophrenia & severe mental illness (indirect mortality) — suicide, cardiometabolic disease.
Infectious (non-respiratory)
HIV/AIDS — opportunistic infections/cancers in advanced disease.
Malaria — Plasmodium falciparum most lethal; cerebral/anaemia complications.
Diarrhoeal diseases — cholera, rotavirus, ETEC, etc.; dehydration/sepsis.
Typhoid/paratyphoid fever — Salmonella enterica systemic infection.
Measles — pneumonia/encephalitis in under-immunized populations.
Dengue & severe dengue — haemorrhage/shock.
Viral hepatitis B — cirrhosis/hepatocellular carcinoma sequelae.
Viral hepatitis C — chronic liver disease/cancer.
Tetanus — neurotoxin causing autonomic instability/respiratory failure.
Pertussis — apnea/pneumonia in infants.
Rabies — almost universally fatal encephalitis once symptomatic.
Leptospirosis — jaundice/renal failure/haemorrhage.
Chagas disease — cardiomyopathy/arrhythmia (Latin America).
Schistosomiasis — portal hypertension/cancer risk.
Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) — marrow failure/sepsis.
Yellow fever — haemorrhagic hepatitis with high CFR.
Meningococcal disease — fulminant sepsis/meningitis.
Tuberculosis (listed above) remains a top infectious killer.
Endocrine, metabolic & renal
Diabetes mellitus — hyperglycaemic crises, vascular/kidney complications.
Chronic kidney disease — progressive renal failure; cardiovascular death risk.
Acute kidney injury — sepsis, toxins, dehydration leading to failure.
Thyroid disorders (myxoedema/thyroid storm) — lethal decompensation if untreated.
Adrenal crisis — cortisol deficiency precipitating shock.
Malnutrition (protein-energy) — organ failure/infection susceptibility.
Nutritional anaemias (severe) — heart failure/hypoxia.
Hyperlipidaemia (as a risk cluster) — contributes to fatal ASCVD.
Severe obesity complications — cardiopulmonary failure, thromboembolism.
Digestive (liver, pancreas, GI)
Cirrhosis & chronic liver disease — portal hypertension/variceal bleeding.
Acute pancreatitis — SIRS, necrosis, multi-organ failure.
Inflammatory bowel disease (severe) — toxic megacolon/sepsis.
Peptic ulcer disease (complicated) — perforation/bleeding.
Appendicitis (complicated) — perforation/abscess/sepsis.
Bowel obstruction — strangulation/ischaemia/sepsis.
Gallstone disease (complicated) — cholangitis/pancreatitis.
Acute viral hepatitis (fulminant) — liver failure/coagulopathy.
Maternal, neonatal, and congenital
Neonatal conditions (preterm birth complications, birth asphyxia/trauma, neonatal sepsis) — leading causes under 28 days.
세계 보건 기구
Congenital birth defects (critical heart disease, neural tube defects, diaphragmatic hernia).
Maternal haemorrhage — ante/post-partum bleeding causing shock.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (eclampsia/HELLP).
Sepsis during pregnancy/childbirth.
Obstructed labour/uterine rupture.
Unsafe abortion (severe complications).
Injuries & external causes
Road traffic injuries — collisions causing polytrauma.
Falls — head injury/hip fracture complications.
Drowning — hypoxic brain injury/cardiac arrest.
Fires, heat and hot substances — burns/inhalation injury.
Poisonings — unintentional toxic exposures.
Interpersonal violence — homicide, penetrating/blunt trauma.
Self-harm (suicide) — poisoning, firearms, hanging, etc.
Notes on data & “ranking to 100”
Why the exact Top-100 varies: Different sources (WHO GHE vs IHME GBD 2021) use different cause lists and modelling; pandemic years reshuffled ranks (e.g., COVID-19). For the newest post-pandemic standings, see GBD 2021 (Lancet 2024 + IHME VizHub).
The Lancet
+1
Where to explore/download data:
• WHO “Leading causes of death” (narrative + datasets).
세계 보건 기구
• Our World in Data “Causes of death” (pulls from WHO/GBD and provides downloadable tables & charts).
Our World in Data
+1
• IHME GBD 2021 results explorer (query global deaths by cause for 2021 and export).
vizhub.healthdata.org
Want the fully ranked Top-100 (with exact 2021 or 2019 numbers) as a neat table/CSV in English?
Tell me which you prefer:
WHO GHE 2019 (pre-pandemic, very stable), or
IHME GBD 2021 (latest post-pandemic; includes COVID-19).
(From WHO Global Health Estimates; values are rounded point estimates.)
Ischaemic heart disease — ~8.9 million deaths.
세계 보건 기구
Stroke — ~6.1 million.
세계 보건 기구
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — ~3.2 million.
세계 보건 기구
Lower respiratory infections — ~2.6 million.
세계 보건 기구
Neonatal conditions — ~2.0 million.
세계 보건 기구
Trachea, bronchus, and lung cancers — ~1.8 million.
세계 보건 기구
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias — ~1.6 million.
세계 보건 기구
Diarrhoeal diseases — ~1.5 million.
세계 보건 기구
Diabetes mellitus — ~1.37 million.
세계 보건 기구
Chronic kidney disease — ~1.3 million.
세계 보건 기구
For a more up-to-date, post-pandemic ranking (e.g., GBD 2021 where COVID-19 appears among the leading causes), see the 2024 Lancet GBD release and IHME’s results portal. I can produce a ranked Top-100 from that dataset on request.
The Lancet
+1
100 leading causes of death (English descriptions, grouped by system)
These are cause-list level (GBD/WHO-style) conditions that collectively cover the overwhelming majority of global mortality. Ordering below is grouped, not ranked within each section.
Cardiovascular & circulatory
Ischaemic (coronary) heart disease — heart muscle death from blocked coronary arteries.
Stroke (ischaemic and haemorrhagic) — brain injury from blocked or ruptured blood vessels.
Hypertensive heart disease — heart failure/complications due to chronic high blood pressure.
Cardiomyopathy & myocarditis — heart muscle disease/inflammation impairing pumping function.
Rheumatic heart disease — valve damage after untreated streptococcal infection.
Atrial fibrillation & flutter — rhythm disorder raising stroke and heart-failure risk.
Aortic aneurysm/dissection — catastrophic tearing/rupture of the aorta.
Peripheral artery disease — limb vessel narrowing causing ischaemia and complications.
Endocarditis — heart-valve infection with septic emboli/heart failure risk.
Venous thromboembolism (DVT/PE) — clots in deep veins and lungs.
Respiratory
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — progressive airflow limitation (emphysema/chronic bronchitis).
Lower respiratory infections — pneumonia/bronchitis, bacterial or viral.
Lung (trachea/bronchus) cancer — malignant tumors of the airways/lung parenchyma.
Asthma — acute and chronic airway inflammation with fatal exacerbations.
Tuberculosis — Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (pulmonary/extrapulmonary).
Interstitial lung diseases & pulmonary fibrosis — scarring that stiffens lungs.
Occupational pneumoconioses — dust-related scarring (e.g., silicosis).
Upper respiratory infections with severe complications — epiglottitis/laryngotracheitis.
Influenza — seasonal flu with secondary bacterial pneumonia risk.
COVID-19 — acute viral respiratory/systemic disease with thrombo-inflammatory sequelae.
The Lancet
Cancers (neoplasms)
Colorectal cancer — malignancy of colon/rectum.
Stomach (gastric) cancer — H. pylori and dietary risks are major contributors.
Liver cancer (hepatocellular; incl. HBV/HCV-related) — chronic viral infection/alcohol/NASH.
Breast cancer — most common female cancer; metastatic disease is fatal.
Prostate cancer — hormone-driven malignancy in males.
Pancreatic cancer — aggressive tumor with late detection, poor survival.
Oesophageal cancer — squamous/adenocarcinoma linked to smoking, alcohol, reflux.
Cervical cancer — HPV-driven; preventable via vaccination/screening.
Leukaemias — malignant blood/ marrow disorders (acute/chronic).
Brain & nervous system cancers — gliomas/medulloblastomas, etc.
Ovarian cancer — often presents late with peritoneal spread.
Kidney cancer — renal cell carcinoma; smoking, hypertension as risks.
Bladder cancer — urothelial tumors; smoking/chemical exposure risks.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma — B/T-cell lymphoid malignancies.
Hodgkin lymphoma — Reed–Sternberg cell lymphoma, curable but fatal if untreated.
Multiple myeloma — malignant plasma-cell disorder causing marrow/renal failure.
Laryngeal cancer — smoking/alcohol linked; airway compromise risk.
Oral cavity cancer — tobacco/betel/HPV-related lesions.
Nasopharyngeal cancer — EBV-associated; prevalent in East/Southeast Asia.
Gallbladder & biliary tract cancers — obstructive cholestasis/sepsis risk.
Thyroid cancer (aggressive forms) — anaplastic or metastatic variants.
Malignant melanoma — high metastatic potential; UV exposure risk.
Neurological & mental health
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias — neurodegeneration causing fatal complications.
Parkinson’s disease — neurodegeneration with aspiration pneumonia/fall risks.
Epilepsy (status epilepticus/accidents) — uncontrolled seizures leading to death.
Motor neuron disease (e.g., ALS) — respiratory failure from progressive weakness.
Meningitis — bacterial/viral meningeal infection; septic shock/herniation risk.
Encephalitis — brain inflammation (viral/autoimmune).
Stroke (listed above) remains the dominant neurological killer.
Substance use disorders (alcohol/drugs) — overdose, arrhythmia, liver failure, accidents.
Schizophrenia & severe mental illness (indirect mortality) — suicide, cardiometabolic disease.
Infectious (non-respiratory)
HIV/AIDS — opportunistic infections/cancers in advanced disease.
Malaria — Plasmodium falciparum most lethal; cerebral/anaemia complications.
Diarrhoeal diseases — cholera, rotavirus, ETEC, etc.; dehydration/sepsis.
Typhoid/paratyphoid fever — Salmonella enterica systemic infection.
Measles — pneumonia/encephalitis in under-immunized populations.
Dengue & severe dengue — haemorrhage/shock.
Viral hepatitis B — cirrhosis/hepatocellular carcinoma sequelae.
Viral hepatitis C — chronic liver disease/cancer.
Tetanus — neurotoxin causing autonomic instability/respiratory failure.
Pertussis — apnea/pneumonia in infants.
Rabies — almost universally fatal encephalitis once symptomatic.
Leptospirosis — jaundice/renal failure/haemorrhage.
Chagas disease — cardiomyopathy/arrhythmia (Latin America).
Schistosomiasis — portal hypertension/cancer risk.
Visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) — marrow failure/sepsis.
Yellow fever — haemorrhagic hepatitis with high CFR.
Meningococcal disease — fulminant sepsis/meningitis.
Tuberculosis (listed above) remains a top infectious killer.
Endocrine, metabolic & renal
Diabetes mellitus — hyperglycaemic crises, vascular/kidney complications.
Chronic kidney disease — progressive renal failure; cardiovascular death risk.
Acute kidney injury — sepsis, toxins, dehydration leading to failure.
Thyroid disorders (myxoedema/thyroid storm) — lethal decompensation if untreated.
Adrenal crisis — cortisol deficiency precipitating shock.
Malnutrition (protein-energy) — organ failure/infection susceptibility.
Nutritional anaemias (severe) — heart failure/hypoxia.
Hyperlipidaemia (as a risk cluster) — contributes to fatal ASCVD.
Severe obesity complications — cardiopulmonary failure, thromboembolism.
Digestive (liver, pancreas, GI)
Cirrhosis & chronic liver disease — portal hypertension/variceal bleeding.
Acute pancreatitis — SIRS, necrosis, multi-organ failure.
Inflammatory bowel disease (severe) — toxic megacolon/sepsis.
Peptic ulcer disease (complicated) — perforation/bleeding.
Appendicitis (complicated) — perforation/abscess/sepsis.
Bowel obstruction — strangulation/ischaemia/sepsis.
Gallstone disease (complicated) — cholangitis/pancreatitis.
Acute viral hepatitis (fulminant) — liver failure/coagulopathy.
Maternal, neonatal, and congenital
Neonatal conditions (preterm birth complications, birth asphyxia/trauma, neonatal sepsis) — leading causes under 28 days.
세계 보건 기구
Congenital birth defects (critical heart disease, neural tube defects, diaphragmatic hernia).
Maternal haemorrhage — ante/post-partum bleeding causing shock.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (eclampsia/HELLP).
Sepsis during pregnancy/childbirth.
Obstructed labour/uterine rupture.
Unsafe abortion (severe complications).
Injuries & external causes
Road traffic injuries — collisions causing polytrauma.
Falls — head injury/hip fracture complications.
Drowning — hypoxic brain injury/cardiac arrest.
Fires, heat and hot substances — burns/inhalation injury.
Poisonings — unintentional toxic exposures.
Interpersonal violence — homicide, penetrating/blunt trauma.
Self-harm (suicide) — poisoning, firearms, hanging, etc.
Notes on data & “ranking to 100”
Why the exact Top-100 varies: Different sources (WHO GHE vs IHME GBD 2021) use different cause lists and modelling; pandemic years reshuffled ranks (e.g., COVID-19). For the newest post-pandemic standings, see GBD 2021 (Lancet 2024 + IHME VizHub).
The Lancet
+1
Where to explore/download data:
• WHO “Leading causes of death” (narrative + datasets).
세계 보건 기구
• Our World in Data “Causes of death” (pulls from WHO/GBD and provides downloadable tables & charts).
Our World in Data
+1
• IHME GBD 2021 results explorer (query global deaths by cause for 2021 and export).
vizhub.healthdata.org
Want the fully ranked Top-100 (with exact 2021 or 2019 numbers) as a neat table/CSV in English?
Tell me which you prefer:
WHO GHE 2019 (pre-pandemic, very stable), or
IHME GBD 2021 (latest post-pandemic; includes COVID-19).