Here Are the Top Causes of Death Worldwide

Worldwide, people are living longer. But while overall deaths from infectious diseases and preterm birth are decreasing, deaths from heart disease, conflict and terrorism are on the rise, according to a new report.

The report, called the Global Burden of Disease study, examines the state of the world's health by estimating average life expectancy as well as the number of deaths, illnesses and injuries from more than 300 causes.

The report found that today, the average global life expectancy is 72.5 years (75.3 years for women and 69.8 years for men.) That's up from an average life expectancy of 65.1 years in 1990 and 58.4 years in 1970, the report said. Japan had the highest life expectancy in 2016, at 83.9 years, while the Central African Republic had the lowest, at 50.2 years.

Overall, there were 54.7 million deaths worldwide in 2016. Nearly three-quarters (72.3 percent) of those deaths were from so-called "noncommunicable diseases," or those that cannot pass from person to person, including heart disease, stroke and cancer.

About 19 percent of deaths in 2016 were from communicable diseases, maternal diseases (which occur during pregnancy and childbirth), neonatal diseases (which occur around the newborn period) and nutritional diseases (which include nutritional deficiencies); about 8 percent of deaths were from injuries.

From 2006 to 2016, the total number of deaths from communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional diseases (which the researchers call "CMNN") decreased by nearly 24 percent. In particular, there's been substantial progress in reducing deaths among children under age 5 years old, who often die from respiratory infections or complications from early birth, the report said. In 2016, the number of deaths among children under age 5 dropped below 5 million for the first time in modern history — down from 11 million deaths in 1990 and 16.4 million deaths in 1970, the researchers said. Deaths from HIV/AIDS among both children and adults have also declined, by 46 percent since 2006, and deaths from malaria have declined by 26 percent since 2006.

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