Top 10 Leading Causes of Death in the EU

Key Takeaways

• Diseases of the circulatory system caused 1,593,448 deaths in the EU in 2023. That accounts for 32.8% of all deaths recorded that year.
• Ischaemic heart disease ranks as the single biggest cause of death within the circulatory system category. It includes heart attacks alongside other long-term heart conditions.
• Cancer ranks as the second leading cause of death in the EU. It is linked to 1,211,055 deaths in 2023. It accounts for 24.9% of all deaths recorded in the EU that year.
• Lung cancer ranks as the single biggest cause of death within cancer. It accounts for just under 1 in 5 cancer deaths in the EU.

Most Common Causes of Death in the EU

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Ischaemic Heart Disease Drives Most Circulatory Deaths

Diseases of the circulatory system rank first among all causes of death in the EU. It accounted for 32.8% of all deaths recorded in 2023.

Ischaemic heart disease accounts for the largest share within the category. It is ahead of three other sub-categories.

• Ischaemic heart disease: 510,133 deaths
• Other heart diseases: 396,617 deaths
• Other diseases of the circulatory system: 360,883 deaths
• Cerebrovascular diseases, including strokes: 325,815 deaths

Ischaemic heart disease equals 32.0% of all circulatory deaths. It covers several related conditions, not just heart attacks. Acute myocardial infarction accounted for 164,800 of those deaths. It is commonly known as a heart attack. The remaining 345,333 deaths in the category stem from other forms of ischaemic heart disease. That includes chronic and long-term blockages of the heart’s blood supply. Long-term forms outnumber sudden heart attacks within this category.

Lung Cancer Is the Single Biggest Cancer Killer

Cancer ranks second among all causes of death in the EU. It is linked to 1,211,055 deaths in 2023. That equals 24.9% of all deaths in the EU. The figure includes a small number of non-malignant and uncertain tumours alongside malignant cancers. Malignant tumours are cancers that can spread to other parts of the body. Non-malignant tumours are growths that stay contained. A narrower figure that counts malignant tumours only stands at 23.9% of all deaths in the EU.

Lung cancer ranks as the single biggest cancer type in the EU.

• Lung cancer: 230,276 deaths (19.8%)
• Colorectal cancer: 132,523 deaths (11.4%)
• Pancreatic cancer: 87,856 deaths (7.6%)
• Breast cancer: 84,878 deaths (7.3%)
• Prostate cancer: 68,627 deaths (5.9%)

Lung, colorectal, pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers combined account for 52.0% of all malignant cancer deaths in the EU in 2023.

Respiratory disease ranks third among all causes of death in the EU. It is linked to 380,733 deaths in 2023. That equals 7.8% of all deaths in the EU. External causes rank fourth among all causes of death in the EU. External causes include accidents, falls, and intentional self-harm. It is linked to 242,238 deaths in 2023. That equals 5.0% of all deaths in the EU. A separate category covering symptoms, signs, and causes that doctors could not classify more precisely accounts for another 4.9% of all deaths in the EU.