The top 10 causes of death (opens in new tab)

WHO act sheet on the 10 leading causes of death. In 2021, the top 10 causes of death accounted for 39 million deaths, or 57% of the total 68 million deaths worldwide. The top global causes of death, in order of total number of lives lost, are associated with two broad topics: cardiovascular (ischaemic heart disease, stroke) and respiratory (COVID-19, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lower respiratory infections), with COVID-19 emerging as the second leading causes of death globally.