55% of the 55.4 million deaths that occurred globally in 2024 were attributable to the top 10 causes of death.
According to the total number of deaths, the top three global causes of death are related to three main areas: respiratory (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections), cardiovascular (ischemic heart disease, stroke), and neonatal conditions (preterm birth complications, neonatal sepsis, and infections).
Three categories can be used to classify causes of death: noncommunicable (chronic), infectious (including infectious and parasitic diseases, as well as conditions affecting mothers, perinatals, and children), and injuries.
Leading causes of death globally
Seven of the top ten causes of death worldwide in 2019 were noncommunicable diseases. These seven factors were responsible for 80% of the top 10 deaths, or 44% of all deaths. However, 74% of deaths worldwide in 2019 were caused by noncommunicable diseases combined.
Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 16% of all fatalities. This disease has caused the biggest increase in deaths since 2000, accounting for over 2 million of the 8.9 million deaths in 2019. The second and third most common causes of death, accounting for roughly 11% and 6% of all deaths, respectively, are stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
As the fourth most common infectious disease worldwide, lower respiratory infections continue to be the most
4th most common cause of death. Nonetheless, the death toll has significantly decreased: in 2019, 2.6 million people died from it, 460 000 fewer than in 2000.
The fifth place goes to newborn conditions. Neonatal conditions, on the other hand, are among the categories where there has been the largest global decline in the absolute number of deaths over the previous 20 years: 2 million newborns and young children died from these conditions in 2019, which is 1.2 million fewer deaths than in 2000.
Noncommunicable disease-related deaths are increasing. Lung, trachea, and bronchus cancer deaths increased from 1.2 million to 1.8 million, placing them sixth among the world’s leading causes of death.
Diarrhoeal diseases have caused one of the biggest drops in mortality rates, with 2.6 million fewer deaths worldwide in 2000 compared to 1.5 million in 2019.
After a noteworthy 70% increase since 2000, diabetes has broken into the top 10 causes of death. With an 80% increase since 2000, diabetes is also the leading cause of male death increases among the top 10.
Some illnesses that were listed among the top 10 causes of death in 2000 have since been removed from the list. Among them is HIV. HIV and AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 51% in the last 20 years, ranking 19th in the world in 2019 after ranking eighth in 2000.
From being the 13th largest cause of death worldwide, kidney diseases are now the 10th. From 813 000 in 2000 to 1.3 million in 2019, the death toll has risen.
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