Ischemic heart disease remains leading cause of death: WHO

The World Health Organization has confirmed that ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide.

In a statement, the organization said ischemic heart disease accounted for about 16% of all global deaths, or nearly 9.5 million fatalities, in 2023.

Stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ranked as the second and third leading causes of death that year.

Stroke was responsible for approximately 11% of total deaths, or 6.8 million cases, while chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caused about 6%, equating to 3.6 million deaths.