Health Policy Watch | COVID-19 drops out of world’s top 10 causes of death for first time since pandemic began
The World Health Organization reports that COVID-19 is no longer among the world's top 10 leading causes of death as of 2023. Global life expectancy has begun to recover toward pre-pandemic levels following the end of the global health emergency.
Why it matters
This marks a significant milestone in the global recovery from the pandemic, signaling a shift in public health priorities.
COVID-19 dropped out of the world’s 10 leading causes of death in 2023 for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020, and only two years after it topped the list, according to new World Health Organization estimates released Friday (2 October).
The virus directly killed an estimated 0.9 million people in 2023, ranking 14th, as global life expectancy climbed back to near its pre-pandemic level. WHO declared an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency in May that year.
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