ISCHAEMIC heart disease and stroke remained the world’s two biggest causes of death in 2023, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The WHO disclosed this in its latest report on the leading causes of death worldwide, highlighting the growing dominance of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the global mortality burden.
Ischaemic heart disease topped the list, accounting for approximately 9.5 million deaths in 2023, equivalent to about 16 percent of all deaths recorded worldwide.
The condition occurs when the arteries supplying blood to the heart become narrowed or blocked, restricting the flow of oxygen to the heart muscle.
Stroke followed as the second-largest cause of death, claiming an estimated 6.8 million lives, or roughly 11 percent of global deaths.
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Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) ranked third, with about 3.6 million deaths, while lower respiratory infections were responsible for approximately 2.7 million deaths to rank fourth.
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia occupied the fifth position, with around 2.1 million deaths recorded globally.
NCDs account for most global deaths
The WHO said 8 of the 10 leading causes of death in 2023 were non-communicable diseases.
NCDs accounted for about 74 percent of deaths worldwide, a significant increase from 58 percent in 2000.
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The other conditions featured among the top 10 were diabetes, cancers of the trachea, bronchus and lung, hypertensive heart disease, kidney diseases and diarrhoeal diseases.
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Taken together, the 10 leading causes accounted for about 33 million deaths in 2023, representing approximately 54 percent of the 61 million deaths recorded globally during the year.
The WHO said cardiovascular diseases continued to constitute the largest source of deaths and disease burden worldwide.
Although significant progress has been made in reducing deaths from ischaemic heart disease since 2000 in several parts of the world, the agency noted that cardiovascular risk has increased at the individual level in its Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions.
The WHO said the trend points to continuing differences in cardiovascular health between populations.
Dementia deaths surge
The report also highlighted the rapid increase in deaths associated with dementia.
Dementia rose to become the world’s fifth-leading cause of death in 2023, compared with 19th place in 2000.
According to the WHO, deaths attributed to dementia tripled during the period, reflecting the growing impact of the condition as populations age.
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Global life expectancy rebounds
The agency also reported a recovery in global life expectancy following the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Average global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, approaching the 73.4 years recorded in 2019, before the pandemic.
However, healthy life expectancy remained lower, standing at 62.8 years in 2023. That was 0.4 years below the 2019 level.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 dropped out of the global top 10 causes of death for the first time since the pandemic emerged in 2020.
