Mortality can look fixed until you line up the causes side by side and see how uneven the impact really is. In 2021, about 14.9% of all deaths worldwide were linked to COVID-19 based on excess mortality estimates, while stroke alone accounted for 6.55 million deaths in 2019, and household air pollution contributed 5.9 million. From under five mortality trends to US age adjusted death rates of 1,405.0 per 100,000 in 2021, this post puts the major drivers into one view so the patterns feel clearer than any single statistic.
Key Takeaways
- 8.8 million deaths in 2019 were due to air pollution (2.9 million from outdoor air pollution and 5.9 million from household air pollution), worldwide
- 9.2 million deaths in 2019 were attributable to diabetes globally
- 2.0 million deaths in 2019 were attributable to road traffic injuries globally
- Stroke caused 6.55 million deaths in 2019 globally (WHO)
- Tuberculosis caused 1.4 million deaths in 2019 globally (WHO)
- Malaria caused 409,000 deaths in 2019 in WHO’s World Malaria Report estimates (WHO fact sheet)
- Globally, in 2019, chronic kidney disease caused 1.3 million deaths (IHME GBD)
- In 2021, 675,000 US deaths were attributed to cancer (CDC)
- In 2021, 52,000 US deaths were attributed to influenza and pneumonia (CDC)
- 201,000 maternal deaths occurred globally in 2020 (WHO/UNFPA/World Bank maternal mortality estimates via World Bank indicator SH.STA.MMRT)
- In 2021, 13.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (WHO Global TB Report 2022)
- In 2022, 12.0 million people with TB did not receive treatment (WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2023 estimate)
- Across 191 countries, excess mortality estimates for 2020–2021 averaged 17 excess deaths per 10,000 people (The Lancet modeling)
- COVID-19 accounted for about 14.9% of all deaths worldwide in 2021, based on excess mortality estimates by The Economist/WHO modeling
- In Italy, excess mortality in 2020 was estimated at 136,000 deaths above expected (ISTAT)
Worldwide, air pollution, major NCDs, and injuries drive millions of deaths while progress in child survival continues.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Burden6 stats
01
8.8 million deaths in 2019 were due to air pollution (2.9 million from outdoor air pollution and 5.9 million from household air pollution), worldwide
02
9.2 million deaths in 2019 were attributable to diabetes globally
03
2.0 million deaths in 2019 were attributable to road traffic injuries globally
04
7.1 million deaths in 2019 were attributable to lung cancer globally
05
700,000 deaths in 2019 were attributed to accidental drowning globally
06
5.9 million deaths in 2019 were attributable to household air pollution
Interpretation
Global Burden Interpretation
Under the Global Burden framing, the sheer scale of preventable exposures and diseases stands out as 8.8 million deaths worldwide in 2019 were linked to air pollution and 9.2 million were attributable to diabetes, making these two drivers a major share of global mortality.
02 · Category
Mortality Rates17 stats
01
Stroke caused 6.55 million deaths in 2019 globally (WHO)
02
Tuberculosis caused 1.4 million deaths in 2019 globally (WHO)
03
Malaria caused 409,000 deaths in 2019 in WHO’s World Malaria Report estimates (WHO fact sheet)
04
HIV/AIDS caused 690,000 deaths in 2021 (WHO fact sheet)
05
In the United States, there were 3.28 million deaths in 2021 (CDC final data)
06
In the United States, the age-adjusted death rate was 1,405.0 deaths per 100,000 standard population in 2021 (CDC, all causes)
07
In the United States, life expectancy at birth was 76.4 years in 2021 (CDC)
08
In the United States, the infant mortality rate was 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021 (NCHS)
09
In South Africa, life expectancy at birth was 64.3 years in 2022 (World Bank)
10
In China, crude death rate was 7.10 deaths per 1,000 population in 2022 (World Bank)
11
In Brazil, neonatal mortality was 8.1 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022 (UN IGME/UNICEF estimates)
12
The global under-five mortality rate fell from 93.0 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 37.0 per 1,000 in 2022 (UN IGME/UNICEF estimates)
13
US maternal mortality increased from 15.1 deaths per 100,000 live births (2019) to 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births (2022) according to NCHS
14
In Canada, there were 319,000 deaths in 2022 (Statistics Canada)
15
In Japan, there were 1,565,000 deaths in 2023 (Statistics Bureau of Japan)
16
In Nigeria, under-five mortality rate was 111.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022 (UN IGME/UNICEF estimates)
17
Road traffic injuries caused 1.19 million deaths in 2019 (Global Health Observatory/WHO)
Interpretation
Mortality Rates Interpretation
Mortality outcomes vary widely by cause and country, with global deaths from major infectious illnesses still at millions in 2019 while the global under-five mortality rate steadily dropped from 93.0 per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 37.0 in 2022, showing a long term decline in mortality rates even as overall mortality remains uneven across regions.
03 · Category
Cause Specific3 stats
01
Globally, in 2019, chronic kidney disease caused 1.3 million deaths (IHME GBD)
02
In 2021, 675,000 US deaths were attributed to cancer (CDC)
03
In 2021, 52,000 US deaths were attributed to influenza and pneumonia (CDC)
Interpretation
Cause Specific Interpretation
From a cause specific perspective, the burden of disease varies sharply by cause and location, with chronic kidney disease driving 1.3 million deaths worldwide in 2019 while in the United States in 2021 cancer accounted for 675,000 deaths and influenza and pneumonia for 52,000.
04 · Category
Healthcare Access7 stats
01
201,000 maternal deaths occurred globally in 2020 (WHO/UNFPA/World Bank maternal mortality estimates via World Bank indicator SH.STA.MMRT)
02
In 2021, 13.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (WHO Global TB Report 2022)
03
In 2022, 12.0 million people with TB did not receive treatment (WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2023 estimate)
04
In 2022, 52% of the global population had access to at least basic hygiene services (WHO/UNICEF JMP)
05
In 2022, 20.5 million infants worldwide missed basic DTP vaccination (WHO/UNICEF estimates)
06
In 2022, 11.3 million children under age 5 died from preventable causes according to WHO/UNICEF
07
In 2022, 2.0 million newborn deaths occurred on the first day of life globally (WHO/UN IGME/UNICEF neonatal mortality reporting)
Interpretation
Healthcare Access Interpretation
Despite some progress, in 2022 major gaps in healthcare access persist as 12.0 million people with tuberculosis did not receive treatment and 20.5 million infants missed basic DTP vaccination.
05 · Category
Excess Mortality4 stats
01
Across 191 countries, excess mortality estimates for 2020–2021 averaged 17 excess deaths per 10,000 people (The Lancet modeling)
02
COVID-19 accounted for about 14.9% of all deaths worldwide in 2021, based on excess mortality estimates by The Economist/WHO modeling
03
In Italy, excess mortality in 2020 was estimated at 136,000 deaths above expected (ISTAT)
04
COVID-19 excess mortality in 2020 was highest in Peru with around 118,000 excess deaths per the IHME Global Burden of Disease excess mortality estimates
Interpretation
Excess Mortality Interpretation
Across 191 countries, excess mortality in 2020 to 2021 averaged 17 excess deaths per 10,000 people, and with COVID-19 responsible for about 14.9% of worldwide deaths in 2021, the figures show that the excess mortality category captures the broad, measurable death toll beyond reported counts.
More related reading
06 · Category
Regional Differences1 stats
01
In 2022, the under-five mortality rate in Central and Southern Asia was 46 per 1,000 live births (UN IGME estimate).
Interpretation
Regional Differences Interpretation
In the Regional Differences context, Central and Southern Asia had an under-five mortality rate of 46 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, underscoring a substantial regional burden compared with other parts of the world.
07 · Category
Risk & Patterns3 stats
01
Approximately 1.6 million deaths per year were attributable to unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) (WHO/UNICEF estimates).
02
About 3.6 million deaths per year were attributable to air pollution exposure (WHO estimate for 2019).
03
1.3 million deaths per year were attributable to tobacco use (WHO estimate).
Interpretation
Risk & Patterns Interpretation
In the Risk & Patterns category, preventable environmental and behavioral risks drive millions of deaths each year with unsafe WASH linked to about 1.6 million deaths, air pollution to around 3.6 million, and tobacco to 1.3 million, underscoring how persistent exposure patterns can concentrate mortality at large scale.
08 · Category
Policy & Health Systems2 stats
01
In 2022, the share of global health expenditure funded by government sources was about 55% (WHO Global Health Expenditure Database reporting summary).
02
In 2022, an estimated 74% of births were attended by skilled health personnel globally (WHO/UNICEF estimate).
Interpretation
Policy & Health Systems Interpretation
From a Policy and Health Systems perspective, government funding accounted for about 55% of global health expenditure in 2022 while about 74% of births were attended by skilled personnel, suggesting that policy-driven public financing plays a major role in supporting key health service coverage.
09 · Category
Data & Methods2 stats
01
In 2021, the US age-adjusted death rate (all causes) was 1,405.0 per 100,000 standard population (NCHS/CDC final).
02
GBD 2021 used 4719 datasets for cause of death estimation (GBD 2021 Results paper).
Interpretation
Data & Methods Interpretation
From a Data and Methods perspective, the scale of evidence behind mortality estimates is clear because GBD 2021 built its findings on 4,719 datasets for causes of death while the US still recorded an age adjusted all cause death rate of 1,405.0 per 100,000 standard population in 2021.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Mortality Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mortality-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Mortality Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mortality-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Mortality Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mortality-statistics.
Sources & references
45 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+30 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)