Heart disease, stroke and chronic respiratory diseases accounted for some of the largest shares of deaths worldwide in 2023, while COVID-19 dropped out of the world’s 10 leading causes of death for the first time since the pandemic began.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says the 10 leading causes of death accounted for 33 million deaths, representing 54% of the estimated 61 million deaths globally in 2023.
Ischaemic heart disease remained the world’s biggest killer, causing 9.5 million deaths, equivalent to 16% of all deaths. Stroke ranked second, accounting for 6.8 million deaths, while chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was third, responsible for 3.6 million deaths.
Lower respiratory infections ranked fourth, claiming 2.7 million lives and becoming the leading infectious cause of death globally.
Eight of the world’s 10 leading causes of death were noncommunicable diseases, accounting for 47% of all deaths.
The WHO report also highlights changes in the global mortality picture since 2000. Deaths from ischaemic heart disease increased by three million, while deaths from kidney disease rose by 86%, moving it from the seventeenth to the ninth leading cause of death.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 deaths declined substantially after reaching their peak in 2021. The disease caused an estimated 900,000 deaths in 2023, ranking fourteenth globally.
The figures highlight the continuing burden of chronic diseases alongside infectious illnesses and the need for health systems to address both.
Source: WHO – The top 10 causes of death, published 2 October 2026.
