The top 10 causes of death

Fact sheet N°310
Updated July 2013

The 10 leading causes of death in the world, 2000 and 2011

Ischaemic heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory infections, chronic obstructive lung disease, diarrhoea and HIV/AIDS have remained the top major killers during the past decade.
Tuberculosis is no longer among the 10 leading causes of death, but is still among the top 15, killing one million people in 2011.
Chronic diseases cause increasing numbers of deaths worldwide. Lung cancers (along with trachea and bronchus cancers) caused 1.5 million (2.7%) deaths in 2011, up from 1.2 million (2.2%) deaths in 2000. Similarly, diabetes caused 1.4 million (2.6%) deaths in 2011, up from 1.0 million (1.9%) deaths in 2000.