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Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions (% of total)

Cause of death refers to the share of all deaths for all ages by underlying causes. Communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions include infectious and parasitic diseases, respiratory infections, and nutritional deficiencies such as underweight and stunting.

Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization (WHO), uri: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/mortality-and-global-health-estimates/ghe-leading-causes-of-death, note: Derived based on the data from Global Health Estimates Deaths by Cause, Age, Sex, by Country and by Region, 2000-2021

Health: Risk factors

Annual

Weighted average

Methodology: Data on cause of death are compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), using information from civil registration and vital statistics systems (CRVS), local health and demographic studies and other sources, supplemented by vital registration and verbal autopsy in communities as well as regular household health surveys. To address incomplete or inconsistent reporting—particularly in countries with limited vital registration coverage—WHO applies statistical models that account for underreporting, demographic differentials, and expected cause-of-death distribution. Special attention has also been paid to misattribution or miscoding of causes of death in cardiovascular diseases, cancer, injuries, and general ill-defined categories. For further information, refer to the WHO Global Health Estimates methodological documentation. Statistical concept(s): Causes of death in the Global Health Estimates (GHE) are classified according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10) or ICD-9. Reported data from countries are mapped to a standardized cause list structured by WHO in a three-level hierarchy. Each death is assigned to a single underlying cause based on ICD rules. To ensure internal consistency, all cause-specific mortality estimates are constrained to fit within an all-cause mortality envelope derived from demographic estimates prepared by the UN Population Division and WHO. The cause list is designed to be mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive, allowing full decomposition of total mortality by age, sex, country, and year. For countries with incomplete, poor-quality, or no usable cause-of-death data, WHO uses a compositional cause modeling strategy. This approach estimates the distribution of causes within broad cause groups based on epidemiological and demographic covariates. Redistribution algorithms are applied to correct for misclassification or ill-defined causes. All modeling approaches are aligned with WHO’s goal of maximizing comparability, transparency, and usability of mortality data across settings with diverse data availability and health system capacities.

Understanding the distribution of causes of death is critical for health planning, policy formulation, and the allocation of resources. Information on the cause of death— communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), injury, and, in conjunction other COVID-19 pandemic-related outcomes—provide a foundation for assessing epidemiological transitions, identifying emerging health threats, and monitoring progress toward national and global health goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); in particular, SDG Target 3.4 aims to reduce premature mortality from NCDs, while communicable diseases remain a key focus under Targets 3.3 and 3.8, which address disease-specific burdens and universal health coverage. Information on the cause of death are especially important for low- and middle-income countries, where health systems must simultaneously address both infectious disease burdens and the rising prevalence of NCDs and injury-related mortality. Disaggregated cause-of-death data enable governments and development partners to prioritize interventions, assess health system performance, and guide investments in prevention and care. Moreover, monitoring mortality by cause helps identify disparities across population groups and geographies, ensuring that public health responses are equitable and data-driven.

Limited data availability on health status remains a major constraint in assessing health conditions in low-and middle-income countries. Surveillance systems are often weak or absent for major public health issues, and available estimates of disease prevalence and incidence may be incomplete or unreliable. National capacities and commitments to data collection and reporting vary significantly. To address these gaps and enhance reliability and comparability, the World Health Organization (WHO) produces estimates using epidemiological models. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced exceptional challenges. Even in countries with relatively complete vital registration systems, excess mortality may have been misclassified between COVID-19 and other causes of death. In countries lacking comprehensive registration systems, greater reliance on modelled estimates—including categories such as “other pandemic-related mortality”—may have resulted in underestimation or redistribution of deaths from specific causes, particularly cardiovascular diseases and other non-communicable diseases.

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