As of 2019, the countries with the highest death rates worldwide are Bulgaria, Ukraine, Serbia, and Latvia. In these countries there were 15 to 16 deaths per 1,000 people. The country with the lowest death rates is Qatar, where there is just one death per 1,000 people.
Leading causes of death
The leading causes of death worldwide are by far ischaemic heart disease and stroke, accounting for a combined 27 percent of all deaths in 2019. In that year, there were 8.89 million deaths worldwide from ischaemic heart disease and 6.19 million from stroke. Interestingly, a worldwide survey from that year found that people greatly underestimate the proportion of deaths caused by cardiovascular disease, but overestimate the proportion of deaths caused by suicide, interpersonal violence, and substance use disorders.
Death in the United States
In 2018, there were around 2.84 million deaths in the United States. The leading causes of death in the United States are currently heart disease and cancer, accounting for a combined 44 percent of all deaths in 2019. Lung and bronchus cancer is the deadliest form of cancer worldwide as well as in the United States. In the U.S. this form of cancer is predicted to cause around 69,410 deaths among men alone in the year 2021. Prostate cancer is the second deadliest cancer for men in the U.S. while breast cancer is the second deadliest for women.
Ranking of the 20 countries with the highest death rates as of 2019 (per 1,000 people)*
Release date represents the date figures were accessed.
* Crude death rate. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Statista Accounts:
Access All Statistics. Starting from $468 / Year
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
World Bank. (June 22, 2021). Ranking of the 20 countries with the highest death rates as of 2019 (per 1,000 people)* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/562733/ranking-of-20-countries-with-highest-death-rates/
World Bank. "Ranking of the 20 countries with the highest death rates as of 2019 (per 1,000 people)*." Chart. June 22, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 17, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/562733/ranking-of-20-countries-with-highest-death-rates/
World Bank. (2021). Ranking of the 20 countries with the highest death rates as of 2019 (per 1,000 people)*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 17, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/562733/ranking-of-20-countries-with-highest-death-rates/
World Bank. "Ranking of The 20 Countries with The Highest Death Rates as of 2019 (per 1,000 People)*." Statista, Statista Inc., 22 Jun 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/562733/ranking-of-20-countries-with-highest-death-rates/
World Bank, Ranking of the 20 countries with the highest death rates as of 2019 (per 1,000 people)* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/562733/ranking-of-20-countries-with-highest-death-rates/ (last visited May 17, 2022)
