WHO Identifies Heart Disease, Stroke and Respiratory Illnesses Among the World’s Leading Causes of Death
By Suman Munshi | IBG NEWS
Global Health | 2 October 2026
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the 10 leading causes of death worldwide accounted for approximately 33 million fatalities in 2023, representing 54% of the estimated 61 million deaths recorded globally. The latest figures underline the growing impact of non-communicable diseases, particularly cardiovascular and chronic respiratory conditions, on global health.
According to the WHO’s Global Health Estimates, eight of the 10 leading causes of death in 2023 were non-communicable diseases. These accounted for 47% of all deaths worldwide and 88% of fatalities attributed to the top 10 causes.
Heart and respiratory diseases remain major global health concerns
Ischaemic heart disease continued to be the world’s leading cause of death, accounting for around 16% of all global fatalities. The disease claimed an estimated 9.5 million lives in 2023, an increase of approximately 3 million deaths compared with 2000.
Stroke ranked second, causing an estimated 6.8 million deaths, or about 11% of the global total. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) stood third, accounting for approximately 3.6 million deaths, equivalent to around 6% of fatalities worldwide.
Lower respiratory infections ranked fourth and remained the deadliest communicable disease globally in 2023, claiming approximately 2.7 million lives. The number of deaths returned to levels close to those recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dementia, diabetes and cancer add to the burden
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia were the fifth leading cause of death in 2023, responsible for an estimated 2.1 million fatalities. Women were disproportionately affected, accounting for 66% of deaths attributed to these conditions.
Diabetes ranked sixth, causing approximately 2 million deaths worldwide. The WHO noted that deaths from diabetes had more than doubled since 2000.
Cancers of the trachea, bronchus and lung ranked seventh. Deaths associated with these cancers increased from around 1.1 million in 2000 to 1.8 million in 2023.
Kidney diseases also showed a significant rise in global mortality. They moved from the 17th leading cause of death in 2000 to ninth place in 2023, with the number of deaths increasing by 86% over the period.
COVID-19 falls out of the global top 10
The WHO reported that COVID-19 dropped out of the world’s 10 leading causes of death for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020. The disease was estimated to have caused 5.3 million deaths in 2020 and 9.4 million in 2021, when it ranked among the leading causes of global mortality.
Deaths directly attributed to COVID-19 declined to approximately 900,000 in 2023, placing it 14th among global causes of death that year. Despite this decline, COVID-19 remained among the 10 leading causes in upper-middle-income countries.
The WHO also highlighted long-term changes in other diseases. HIV and AIDS, which ranked seventh globally in 2000, had fallen to 22nd place by 2023, with deaths declining by 62%. Deaths linked to complications of preterm birth also decreased over the years.
Different health challenges across income groups
The leading causes of death vary considerably according to a country’s income level. In low-income countries, communicable diseases continue to represent a major challenge. Seven of the 10 leading causes of death in this group in 2023 were communicable diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS.
Lower respiratory infections remained the leading cause of death in low-income countries for much of the period from 2000 to 2023. Diarrhoeal diseases also continued to contribute substantially to mortality, although deaths from these conditions have declined significantly.
In lower-middle-income countries, both communicable and non-communicable diseases contributed to the leading causes of death. Cardiovascular diseases and COPD recorded substantial increases in mortality between 2000 and 2023, while diabetes also rose sharply in ranking.
Upper-middle-income countries experienced a growing burden from non-communicable diseases, including lung cancer, dementia and ischaemic heart disease. In high-income countries, nine of the 10 leading causes of death in 2023 were non-communicable diseases. Population ageing was identified as an important factor behind rising deaths from several conditions, including dementia.
Reliable mortality data essential for public health planning
The WHO emphasises that accurate information on the causes of death is essential for identifying health risks, understanding disease patterns and developing effective public health policies. Reliable mortality data can help governments assess which communities face the greatest risks, evaluate health interventions and allocate resources according to need.
However, many countries, particularly those with lower incomes, continue to face challenges in collecting complete and consistent information on deaths and their causes. Gaps in reporting can make it difficult to monitor health trends and assess the effectiveness of prevention and treatment programmes.
The WHO supports countries in strengthening their health information systems through international standards, including the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which helps improve the collection and comparison of health data.
The organisation’s latest estimates cover trends in more than 160 diseases and injuries from 2000 to 2023. The findings highlight the importance of prevention, early diagnosis, accessible healthcare and reliable health data in addressing the changing burden of disease worldwide.
Source: World Health Organization (WHO), The Top 10 Causes of Death — Global Health Estimates for 2000–2023.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
