The WHO’s 2019 Global Health Estimates was released recently.
Key takeaways
According to the report, non-communicable diseases now make up 7 of the world’s top 10 causes of death, an increase from 4 of the 10 leading causes in 2000.
The new data cover the period from 2000 to 2019.
Heart disease: (1) It has remained the leading cause of death at the global level for the last 20 years; (2) It now represents 16% of total deaths from all causes; (3) The number of deaths from heart disease increased by more than two million since 2000 to nearly 9 million in 2019.
Diabetes and dementia are also among the world’s top 10 causes of death.
HIV/AIDS dropped from the 8th leading cause of death in 2000 to the 19th in 2019.
Tuberculosis is also no longer in the global top 10, falling from 7th place in 2000 to 13th in 2019, with a 30% reduction in global deaths.
In 2019, people were living more than 6 years longer than in 2000, with a global average of more than 73 years in 2019 compared to nearly 67 in 2000.
There has been a global decline in deaths from communicable diseases, which however, still remain a major challenge in low- and middle-income countries.
Do you know?
In 2019, pneumonia and other lower respiratory infections were the deadliest group of communicable diseases and together ranked as the fourth leading cause of death.
