Search
Every wonder what are the major global killers? Per the World Health Organization, the following were the top 20 causes.
Not unexpected, diseases primarily of the elderly, such ischemic heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are on the top of the list. However, there are others, such as road traffic injuries and HIV/AIDS that could impact anyone.
| Top 20 Causes of Global Mortality, 2012 | ||||
| Rank | Cause | Deaths (000s) | % deaths | Deaths per 100,000 population |
| 0 | All Causes | 55859 | 100.0 | 789.5 |
| 1 | Ischaemic heart disease | 7356 | 13.2 | 104.0 |
| 2 | Stroke | 6671 | 11.9 | 94.3 |
| 3 | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 3104 | 5.6 | 43.9 |
| 4 | Lower respiratory infections | 3052 | 5.5 | 43.1 |
| 5 | Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers | 1600 | 2.9 | 22.6 |
| 6 | HIV/AIDS | 1534 | 2.8 | 21.7 |
| 7 | Diarrhoeal diseases | 1498 | 2.7 | 21.2 |
| 8 | Diabetes mellitus | 1497 | 2.7 | 21.2 |
| 9 | Road injury | 1255 | 2.3 | 17.7 |
| 10 | Hypertensive heart disease | 1141 | 2.0 | 16.1 |
| 11 | Preterm birth complications | 1135 | 2.0 | 16.0 |
| 12 | Cirrhosis of the liver | 1021 | 1.8 | 14.4 |
| 13 | Tuberculosis | 935 | 1.7 | 13.2 |
| 14 | Kidney diseases | 864 | 1.6 | 12.2 |
| 15 | Self-harm | 804 | 1.4 | 11.4 |
| 16 | Birth asphyxia and birth trauma | 744 | 1.3 | 10.5 |
| 17 | Liver cancer | 740 | 1.3 | 10.5 |
| 18 | Stomach cancer | 733 | 1.3 | 10.4 |
| 19 | Colon and rectum cancers | 724 | 1.3 | 10.2 |
| 20 | Alzheimer's disease and other dementias | 701 | 1.3 | 9.9 |
References
http://www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/estimates/en/index1.html