Ranks of the 10 leading causes of death: a comparison of two lists

Objectives: To compare the ranks of the 10 leading causes of death (CODs) between a traditional government list (traditional list) and the 2006 World Health Organization (WHO) list. Methods: From open data sets, COD data were collected for the years 2011, 2016, and 2021 to estimate the number of deaths for each ranking category. Subgroup analyses by age and sex were performed. Results: According to the traditional list, the leading COD was malignant neoplasm in individuals of all ages except for those aged ≥85 years. However, according to the WHO list, the leading CODs in 2011, 2016, and 2021 were, respectively, transport injury, suicide, and suicide in individuals aged 15–44 years; liver cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer in those aged 45–64 years; stroke, stroke, and diabetes in those aged 65–84 years; and influenza/pneumonia, influenza/ pneumonia, and influenza/pneumonia in those aged ≥85 years. Among individuals aged 15–44 years, liver cancer was the fourth most prevalent COD in 2011; however, liver cancer obtained was ranked seventh in 2016 and was absent from the list in 2021. Conclusions: Insights into the top 10 CODs from the aforementioned two lists may facilitate mortality prevention and healthrelated policymaking.