WHO Reports Heart Disease and Stroke Lead Global Deaths

In 2023, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were identified as the leading causes of death worldwide, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) reporting over 16 million deaths combined from these conditions. Ischaemic heart disease accounted for approximately 9.5 million deaths, representing about 16% of all global deaths, while stroke caused around 6.8 million deaths, or 11% of the total.

The report indicated that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the third leading cause of death, with about 3.6 million fatalities, followed by lower respiratory infections and Alzheimer's disease, which ranked fifth with approximately 2.1 million deaths. The WHO noted that eight of the ten leading causes of death were non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which collectively accounted for 74% of global deaths, an increase from 58% in 2000.

The report also highlighted a significant rise in deaths associated with dementia, which became the fifth leading cause of death globally in 2023, compared to its previous ranking of 19th in 2000.