What was the leading cause of death in 2001?

The leading cause of death worldwide in 2001 is shown at the top of this page. Cardiovascular diseases have consistently been the top cause since 1990, though the exact share varies by year.

How many countries have mortality data for 2001?

This page covers mortality data for all countries with available records in 2001. The exact count is shown in the statistics bar above.

Which country had the highest death rate in 2001?

Country rankings for 2001 are shown in the table below, sorted by total death rate per 100,000 population. Death rates reflect the age structure and disease burden of each country.

Year Snapshot

Global Mortality in 2001

A snapshot of death rates, leading causes, and country rankings for 2001.

Countries with Data

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#1 Cause of Death

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Highest Death Rate

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Lowest Death Rate

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Year-over-Year Change

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World Population

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Cause of Death Shares — 2001

World average share of deaths by cause

Top Causes of Death — 2001

Global deaths by cause (absolute numbers)

Country Death Rates — 2001

Total death rate per 100,000 (top 30 countries)

#	Country	Death Rate	#1 Cause	Region

Global Health in 2001

Historical context and key events

The September 11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States and reshaped global security and health priorities. The same year, the Doha Declaration affirmed countries' rights to override pharmaceutical patents for public health emergencies, paving the way for generic antiretroviral production. The UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) declared the epidemic a global emergency, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was established.

Mortality Profile — 2001

Average share of deaths across 221 countries

In 2001, data from 221 countries reveals the leading causes of death by share: cardiovascular diseases (29.6%), cancers (neoplasms) (14.3%), lower respiratory infections (5.6%), neonatal disorders (4.5%), HIV/AIDS (4.3%). These averages reflect the cross-country mean share of total deaths and highlight the dominant mortality patterns of the era.

How Mortality Changed Since 2000

Decade-level comparison of cause-of-death shares

Compared to 2000, the most significant shifts in the global mortality profile by 2001 include: cancers (neoplasms) increased by 0.2 percentage points (from 14.1% to 14.3%); HIV/AIDS increased by 0.2 percentage points (from 4.2% to 4.3%); enteric infections decreased by 0.2 percentage points (from 3.7% to 3.5%); diarrheal diseases decreased by 0.1 percentage points (from 3.3% to 3.2%). These changes reflect evolving risk factor exposures, demographic transitions, medical advances, and public health interventions across the world.

Understanding the Data

Methodology and interpretation

Global mortality statistics are compiled from multiple sources. High-income countries typically rely on national vital registration systems with medical certification of cause of death, while many low- and middle-income countries supplement incomplete civil registration with verbal autopsy surveys and hospital records. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) integrates these inputs using statistical modeling to produce comparable estimates across countries and years. The 'share of deaths' metric shown in the charts represents the proportion of all deaths in a given country-year attributed to each cause category, summing to approximately 100% across all causes. When comparing across years, small shifts of one to two percentage points may reflect updates in data sources, changes in diagnostic coding (such as ICD revision transitions), or improvements in modeling methodology rather than true epidemiological changes. Larger shifts — particularly those sustained over multiple consecutive years — are more likely to represent genuine trends in population health.

Browse Other Years

Global Explorer ← 2000 2002 → Year 2000 Year 2010 Year 2020 Trend Analysis Cardiovascular Deaths Cancer Deaths