TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Cancer remained Taiwan’s leading cause of death for the 43rd consecutive year in 2024, while COVID-19 fell out of the top 10 and suicide re-entered the ranking.
On Monday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare released statistics on the leading causes of death in 2024, per Liberty Times. It reported 201,383 deaths last year, down 4,192, or 2%, from 2023.
The overall mortality rate was 860.2 deaths per 100,000 people, marking a 2.3% decline. The age-standardized mortality rate, based on the World Health Organization’s world standard population, was 410.3 per 100,000, a 4.5% drop.
Lu Shu-chun (呂淑君), a section chief in the MOHW’s Department of Statistics, said the top 10 causes of death accounted for 149,479 deaths, or 74.2% of the total. Compared to 2023, age-standardized mortality rates declined across most categories, except for pneumonia and suicide, which both saw slight increases.
The steepest drops were observed in deaths from diabetes, kidney diseases, and accidental injuries. COVID-19, which ranked sixth in 2023, fell to 14th place last year.
The top 10 causes of death by mortality rate in 2024 were:
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Pneumonia
- Cerebrovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Hypertensive disease
- Accidental injuries
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases
- Kidney diseases
- Suicide
Among cancer-related deaths, the top 10 types remained unchanged from 2023:
- Trachea, bronchus and lung cancer
- Liver cancer
- Colon, rectal and anal cancer
- Female breast cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Oral cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Ovarian cancer
Lung cancer continued to be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Taiwan for the 21st consecutive year.
