HEART DISEASE REMAINS WORLD’S LEADING KILLER AS CHRONIC DISEASES DOMINATE GLOBAL DEATHS — WHO

Staff Writer

WORLD | Heart disease remains the world’s leading cause of death, as noncommunicable diseases continue to account for most of the top causes of mortality globally, according to new data from the World Health Organization.

WHO’s latest Global Health Estimates show that the 10 leading causes accounted for approximately 33 million deaths in 2023, representing 54% of the 61 million deaths recorded worldwide. Eight of the top 10 causes were noncommunicable diseases.

Ischaemic heart disease remained the world’s biggest killer, responsible for approximately 9.5 million deaths, or 16% of all deaths. Stroke ranked second with about 6.8 million deaths, followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with approximately 3.6 million. Lower respiratory infections ranked fourth, claiming about 2.7 million lives.

Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias ranked fifth with 2.1 million deaths, followed by diabetes with 2 million. WHO said deaths from diabetes have more than doubled since 2000, while deaths from trachea, bronchus and lung cancers increased from 1.1 million in 2000 to 1.8 million in 2023.

One significant change is COVID-19 dropping out of the world’s top 10 causes of death for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020. It ranked 14th in 2023, with an estimated 900,000 deaths directly attributed to the disease.

WHO says understanding why people die is critical for governments to identify preventable health risks, determine health priorities and direct resources toward areas where they are most needed.