In this article, we shall discuss the top 20 leading causes of death in the world. To skip our detailed analysis of the global healthcare industry in 2023, go directly and see Top 10 Leading Causes Of Death In The World.

Enormous disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was also one of the leading causes of death in the world in 2020, coupled with a variety of social, economic, geopolitical and environmental volatility, continues to exert substantial pressure on global healthcare as the industry enter 2024. However, the past few years have also made way for huge advancements in terms of innovation in the way healthcare systems operate. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, it is imperative to ensure stakeholders, industries, and countries make integrated pathways to achieve commo healthcare goals, curating collaborative avenues in doing so. The report estimates that global healthcare was valued at around $12 trillion as of 2022, up from $8.5 trillion in 2018. Healthcare investments peaked to record highs in 2021 owing to the pandemic and other supply chain disruptions, the tailwinds of which the industry is still riding today. Following the launch of mRNA based vaccines, applications are rapidly growing beyond infectious diseases in Zika, malaria and other leading causes of death in the world. Digital investments in healthcare nearly doubled to $57 billion in 2022, and with the rapid growth of digital health startups, the expansion of technology companies into the healthcare market is exerting further pressure on the overall industry.

Addressing the Labor Challenge in Healthcare: An Overview

One of the major concerns top players in the healthcare market like UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH), CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS), and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) are facing are gross labor shortages, primarily due to a surge in early retirements post the pandemic. This new shift in the labor pool puts enormous pressure on hospitals and healthcare providers, especially since skilled medical professionals are critical in processing and carrying out exorbitant amounts of medical and surgical procedures to deal with some of the leading causes of death in the world. According to a report by BlackRock, 1 in 5 healthcare workers in the US have quit their jobs since the onset of the pandemic. 2 out of 3 of those who have quit decided to forego the industry entirely and set up shop elsewhere. This is an enormous dent to the healthcare industry as staffing challenges are having adverse impacts on the production, development and distribution of medical devices and supplies. The declining number of medical professionals available to use advanced medical devices for surgical procedures and other complex medical care have resulted in a depreciation of demand for more advanced product lines. Although the report predicts that the current labor crisis has reached its peak and will settle in the coming years, healthcare companies like UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH), CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS), and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) will be needing to look out for opportunities and areas of potential to gain strategic advantages over their competitors in an already tight market environment. You can read more on the potential challenges facing the global healthcare industry as it heads into 2024 in our coverage of the 20 Countries With the Most Centenarians.

The Value in Consumer Centricity: An Analysis

According to a report by McKinsey, the concept of consumer centricity is garnering increasing traction in nearly all consumer-facing industries, with healthcare being no exception. In this vein, top players in the industry like UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH), CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS), and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) are confronting an imperative of catering to skyrocketing demand and shifting consumer preferences across the end-to-end healthcare journey, in addition to feeling the need to mirror the experiences consumers most enjoy about interacting with other companies. According to research by McKinsey, consumers express greater satisfaction with respect to healthcare they received in the past and have exhibited increasing frustration over the state of the industry today. Healthcare companies are struggling to adopt more consumer-centric practices to try to change this perception owing to core industry dynamics and a swiftly transforming care and coverage landscape.

According to the article, addressing the dynamic nature of consumer expectations and preferences is an incredibly challenging task in that it demand reimagining traditional healthcare journey offerings. To shift current perceptions, healthcare providers could target a future with a dramatically healthier population, with more affordable healthcare, and timely access to the kind of care they require. Healthcare companies like UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH), CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS), and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) are already diverting increased investments in improving performance through a more affordable product and service lineup, higher-quality care and experiences, an increase in the number of consumers catered to, and more encouraging and incentivizing more consumer loyalty to their improved brands. Furthermore, these companies are making additional efforts to identify customer pain points to unlock improved outcomes, especially with respect to the leading causes of death in the world. According to the report, consumers who are satisfied with their healthcare providers report deferring care more than 10% less, seek out routine care 14% more, and opt for inpatient care options 13% less than unsatisfied customers. Additionally, consumers who have higher levels of engagement tend to persist with their current insurer and provider.

Certain companies have been able to deliver distinctive and innovative solutions at scale which cater to the dynamic nature of consumer preferences better and drive additional value for the health system at large. One such area where companies are investing is in transparent healthcare billing. Nearly all consumers point to the payment experience as one of the most important factors in deciding which healthcare provider to opt for or persist with. Industry innovators have built on the billing journey by prioritizing cost transparency throughout the healthcare experience and by integrating a payer-provider dynamic to encourage a seamless and personalized payment process. One industry leader reported an 88% patient satisfaction and a 30% average lift in patient payments after incorporating the aforementioned mechanisms into their daily operations. Companies like UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH), CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS), and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) have begun to divert greater investments in delivering customized, at-home care plans via digital pathways to improve upon consumer empowerment and enhance engagement. In a case study conducted by JF Bailey in 2020, more than 75% of consumers enrolled in a company’s comprehensive musculoskeletal digital care program experienced considerable reductions in pain and a more seamless healthcare experience. To read more on measures taken by industry leaders to navigate changing consumer preferences and better treat some of the leading causes of death in the world, check out our article on the 15 Countries With The Best Healthcare in the World.

Our Methodology

To compile our list of the top 20 leading causes of death in the world, we decided to rely on cause-specific mortality data from reputable sources such the WHO and the CDC. Next, we specified the time-frame for the data collection to ensure consistency and relevance. To maximize relevance to the current day, we used the Deathmeters database to standardize mortality rates across different sources and make reliable estimates of current fatality rates of each cause as of 2023. The organization makes estimates of mortality rates in the world happening in real-time based on the latest data available from the WHO and the CDC. We used the database to identify the top 20 leading causes of death and ranked them based on the number of mortalities in 2023, from lowest to highest.

Many of the causes which made our list of the top 20 leading causes of death in the world also featured on our list of The 10 Most Deadly Diseases in the World Today.

Top 20 Leading Causes Of Death In The World

20. Birth Asphyxia

Number of Mortalities: 0.66 million

Birth asphyxia is caused by a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain. This causes a failure to establish breathing at birth and is one of the primary causes of neonatal mortality. In 2023, 660,000 deaths occurred due to birth asphyxia, making it one of the leading causes of death in the world.

19. Stomach Cancer

Number of Mortalities: 0.74 million

Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, occurs when cancer cells develop in the lining of the stomach. The stomach is primarily responsible for digestion; thus, developing stomach cancer severely damages the digestive system.

18. Suicide

Number of Mortalities: 0.77 million

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the world. It is the act of intentionally causing one’s own death. In 2023, approximately 770,000 million deaths occurred due to suicide, worldwide.

17. Colorectal Cancer

Number of Mortalities: 0.77 million

Being one of the most common types of cancers in the world, colorectal cancer develops in the colon and primarily affects the intestines or rectum. The risk of having this type of cancer increases with age; thus, older people are more prone to developing it. It is one of the leading causes of death in the world.

16. Liver Cancer

Number of Mortalities: 0.81 million

Liver cancer occurs due to a malignant tumor that develops in the liver. The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocytes. Roughly 810,000 million deaths occurred due to liver cancer in 2023. 

15. Hypertensive Heart Disease

Number of Mortalities: 0.87 million

Hypertensive heart disease is mainly caused by increased blood pressure, which eventually affects the left atrium, left ventricle, and coronary arteries. This increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, or heart failure.

14. HIV/AIDS

Number of Mortalities: 0.98 million

HIV/AIDS is a viral infection. HIV negatively affects the body’s immune system and can later evolve into AIDS. HIV/AIDS is not curable and affects the body for life. This disease is one of a leading causes of death across the world.

13. Preterm Birth Complications 

Number of Mortalities: 0.98 million

In 2023, approximately 980,000 million deaths occurred due to preterm birth complications, making them one of the leading causes of death in the world. These complications primarily occur because of an immature organ system of pre-term infants. Some of these complications include breathing, heart, or digestive problems. 

12. Kidney Diseases

Number of Mortalities: 1.15 million

There are various kinds of kidney diseases including chronic kidney disease, polycystic kidney disease, and interstitial nephritis. These diseases damage kidneys and eventually lead to kidney failure.

11. Cirrhosis of the Liver

Number of Mortalities: 1.22 million

Cirrhosis of the liver occurs when healthy cells in the liver are replaced by scar tissues. This causes severe liver damage. Some of the common causes of cirrhosis include excessive consumption of alcohol, hepatitis B and C, and fatty liver. Liver cirrhosis is number 11 on our list of the leading causes of death in the world. 

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Disclosure. None. Top 20 Leading Causes of Death in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.