Heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease top
The World Health Organization reports that ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and COPD remain the leading causes of death globally as of 2023. While non-communicable diseases dominate global mortality, low-income countries continue to face a double burden of infectious and chronic diseases.
Why it matters
Provides critical data on global health trends and the shifting burden of disease across different economic regions.
ISCHAEMIC heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were the three leading causes of death globally in 2023, according to the latest estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The estimates, released on Friday, October 2, showed that ischaemic heart disease caused 9.5 million deaths, while stroke and COPD caused 6.8 million and 3.6 million deaths respectively.
WHO said the 10 leading causes of death accounted for 33 million of the estimated 61 million deaths worldwide in 2023.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 74 per cent of all deaths globally in 2023, compared with 58 per cent in 2000. Eight of the 10 leading causes of death were NCDs.
However, the picture remains different across Africa and other low-income settings, where infectious diseases continue to account for a large share of deaths.
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