Cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases and cancer remain the world’s top killers of humans according to the latest “The Global Burden of Disease” report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Based on statistics from 2004, cardiovascular diseases were responsible for 29 percent of 58.8 millions deaths in 2004. Cardiovascular diseases along with infectious diseases and cancer were responsible for 57.8 percent of the deaths in 2004.
Diseases remain by far the top killer of humans. Violent deaths due to murder, conflict, and suicide resulted in 2.8 percent of the deaths in 2004, less than the 6.6 percent for accidental injuries and drownings.
From 2004 through 2030 WHO expects deaths from communicable diseases to fall while deaths from noncommunicable diseases rise as the population ages.
More Information
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- News Article: Associated Press: “WHO: Heart, infectious diseases, cancer kill most“