How the World Dies
Explore 292 causes of death across 204 countries from 1990 to 2023. Powered by the IHME Global Burden of Disease Study.
| # | Country | Region | Income | #1 Cause | CVD Rate | Cancer | Infectious | Injuries | Total Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Understanding Global Mortality Patterns
How does the world die? Data-driven answers from 1990 to 2023
The Human Mortality Explorer provides a comprehensive, interactive view of global mortality data spanning over three decades. Built on the IHME Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, it covers 292 distinct causes of death across 204 countries and territories. Whether you are a public health researcher, medical student, journalist, or simply curious about how mortality patterns differ around the world, this tool makes population-level death statistics accessible and explorable.
From cardiovascular diseases dominating high-income nations to communicable diseases driving mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, the Explorer reveals the vast disparities in how populations die. Use the treemap to see proportional cause breakdowns, the choropleth map to compare death rates geographically, or dive into individual country profiles for detailed mortality statistics including trends, age patterns, and risk factor attributions.
For 118 countries with detailed mortality registration, data is presented as age-standardised death rates per 100,000 population, enabling fair comparisons between countries with different age structures. An additional 92 countries display estimated crude death rates derived from cause-of-death share percentages and UN demographic data; these are marked "est." in tables and "(estimated)" in charts. Crude and age-standardised rates are not directly comparable, so take care when interpreting cross-country rankings that mix both types. The underlying dataset is sourced from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and processed by Our World in Data, both widely regarded as the gold standard for global health statistics.
What are the leading causes of death worldwide in 2023?
Cardiovascular diseases (including ischaemic heart disease and stroke) remain the leading causes of death globally, accounting for roughly one-third of all deaths. Cancer (neoplasms), chronic respiratory diseases, and lower respiratory infections follow. The Human Mortality Explorer lets you examine all 292 causes across 204 countries with data from the IHME Global Burden of Disease Study.
How has global mortality changed since 1990?
Global age-standardised death rates have declined by approximately 30% since 1990, driven by reductions in communicable diseases, neonatal conditions, and cardiovascular mortality. However, non-communicable diseases now account for a larger share of total deaths as populations age and infectious disease control improves.
Which country has the highest death rate?
Age-standardised death rates are highest in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia. Countries like Chad, the Central African Republic, and Somalia consistently rank among those with the highest mortality burdens due to communicable diseases, malnutrition, and conflict. Use the Explorer to sort all 204 countries by total death rate.
What data source does the Human Mortality Explorer use?
The Explorer integrates data from multiple authoritative international sources. Core mortality data comes from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, processed and distributed by Our World in Data, covering 292 causes of death across 204 countries (1990–2023). Demographic and economic data comes from the World Bank (income classifications, GDP, health expenditure, regional groupings), the UN World Population Prospects (population estimates and projections), and the WHO (total deaths, maternal and child mortality, health indicators). Lifestyle and risk factor data draws from NCD-RisC (BMI, obesity), FAOSTAT (diet and food supply), the WHO Global Health Observatory (physical inactivity, tobacco, alcohol, hypertension), and the IHME GBD risk factor attributions. Additional sources include the World Happiness Report (life satisfaction), the Human Development Index, GLOBOCAN (cancer data), UNODC (conflict deaths), and education and labour indicators from UNESCO and the ILO. Two rate types are used: 118 countries with detailed mortality registration show age-standardised rates (ASR), which adjust for population age structure. The remaining 92 countries show estimated crude death rates derived from IHME cause-of-death share percentages combined with UN population data; these are marked "est." in tables.
Is the Human Mortality Explorer free to use?
Yes. The Human Mortality Explorer is completely free and open-access. All visualisations and data exports are available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0).