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Global View of Mortality and Morbidity

Mortality¹
List of Countries by Income Level

The leading causes of death among women differ by age and by country income level. HIV/AIDS and maternal conditions are the primary causes of death among women in their reproductive years (age 15–44); diseases associated with aging, such as cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms (commonly known as cancers), are the primary causes of death among women over the age of 44. Some conditions disproportionately affect women in low-income countries.

Causes of Global Mortality in Women¹

	Number of Deaths	Percent of Deaths that Occur in Low-Income Countries
AGE 15–29
Total Deaths	1,656,995	76
HIV/AIDS	439,913	76
Maternal conditions	258,128	91
Unintentional injuries	220,212	68
Intentional injuries	133,254	58
Tuberculosis	104,232	87
Cardiovascular diseases	93,249	71
Lower respiratory infections	81,077	88
Malignant neoplasms (cancers)	57,929	51
Other infectious diseases	57,806	95
Digestive diseases	47,210	83

AGE 30–44
Total Deaths	1,995,883	64
HIV/AIDS	490,581	77
Maternal conditions	233,640	90
Malignant neoplasms (cancers)	228,873	34
Cardiovascular diseases	208,691	52
Unintentional injuries	190,902	54
Tuberculosis	129,351	81
Intentional injuries	117,903	39
Digestive diseases	68,210	55
Other infectious diseases	54,846	89
Lower respiratory infections	54,236	81

AGE 45+
Total Deaths	17,658,486	36
Cardiovascular diseases	8,241,021	35
Malignant neoplasms (cancers)	2,819,199	26
Chronic respiratory diseases	1,683,248	29
Lower respiratory diseases	817,461	55
Digestive diseases	667,456	34
Unintentional injuries	543,578	46
Diabetes mellitus	521,726	34
Neuropsychiatric conditions	443,487	28
Genitourinary diseases	347,054	37
Other infectious diseases	334,484	72

Maternal Deaths by Age

There are similarities and differences in the causes of deaths among women within and across the age categories of 15–29 years, 30–44 years and 45+ years. These patterns of disease reflect biological circumstances, disease prevalence in a region, and exposure to risk.

Maternal conditions and infectious diseases are more common causes of deaths among younger and poorer women, while cancers and cardiovascular diseases are the primary causes of death for women who are older and living in high-income countries.
Each year, nine out of 10 maternal deaths and eight of 10 tuberculosis deaths among women aged 15–44 occur in low-income countries.
HIV/AIDS is the cause of death for three in every 10 women aged 30–44 who die in low-income countries each year.

Women and girls aged 15–29 years. Overall, the top three causes of death among women age 15–29 years are HIV/AIDS, maternal conditions and unintentional injuries, which together are responsible for more than 950,000 deaths each year. These three conditions reflect the mortality pattern in low-income countries (LICs), which is where most of these deaths occur (76 percent of HIV/AIDS deaths, 91 percent of maternal deaths and 68 percent of deaths due to unintentional injuries occur in LICs).

Deaths among women aged 15–29 are disproportionately high in low-income countries – 76 percent of deaths among young women are in low-income countries, compared to 36 percent of deaths among women over the age of 44. Even among cancer deaths among young women, more than half are in developing countries.
In middle-income countries, HIV/AIDS and both intentional and unintentional injuries are among the top three causes of death. However, maternal conditions are still a leading cause of mortality in these countries, along with malignant neoplasms (cancers) and cardiovascular diseases. Intentional injuries include those caused by violence or war and self-inflicted injuries.
In high-income countries, unintentional injuries are among the top three causes of death, as are intentional injuries and malignant neoplasms. HIV/AIDS is the 10th leading cause of death in this income group, and maternal deaths are rare.
Unintentional injuries are among the top three causes of death for women aged 15–29 in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. In low-income countries, one out of every 10 deaths among young women result from these injuries. In high-income countries, half of the deaths among young women are due to injuries.
Globally, HIV/AIDS is the cause of 26 percent of deaths among young women.

Deaths Among Women and Girls Aged 15–29: Total and Leading Causes¹

	Low-Income Countries	Lower-Middle- Income Countries	Upper-Middle- Income Countries	High-Income Countries
	Total:2,362,000	Total:308,000	Total:49,000	Total: 32,000
1	HIV/AIDS	HIV/AIDS	Unintentional injuries	Unintentional injuries
2	Maternal conditions	Unintentional injuries	HIV/AIDS	Intentional injuries
3	Unintentional injuries	Intentional injuries	Intentional injuries	Malignant neoplasms
4	Tuberculosis	Cardiovascular diseases	Malignant neoplasms	Cardiovascular diseases
5	Intentional injuries	Malignant neoplasms	Maternal conditions	Neuropsych. conditions

Deaths Among Women and Girls Aged 15–29, by Disease and World Bank
Country Income Level¹

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Women aged 30–44 years. Overall, HIV/AIDS, maternal conditions and malignant neoplasms (cancers) are the top three causes of deaths for women aged 30–44 and together are responsible for more than 950,000 deaths each year. Cardiovascular injuries and unintentional injuries are also prevalent.

Although most causes of death (including HIV/AIDS, maternal conditions and infectious diseases) for women in this age range are disproportionately prevalent in low-income countries, deaths due to cancers and intentional injuries are more prevalent in the high- and middle-income countries.
Although about 64 percent of all deaths among women aged 30–44 occur in low-income countries, 90 percent of deaths due to maternal conditions among women in this age group occur in low-income countries.
HIV/AIDS is responsible for about 25 percent of deaths among women aged 30–44 worldwide. Cancers, cardiovascular diseases and unintentional injuries each cause about 10 percent of deaths.

Deaths Among Women Aged 30–44: Total and Leading Causes¹

	Low-Income Countries	Lower-Middle- Income Countries	Upper-Middle- Income Countries	High-Income Countries
	Total: 1,201,147	Total: 523,379	Total: 89,697	Total:95,714
1	HIV/AIDS	HIV/AIDS	Malignant neoplasms	Malignant neoplasms
2	Maternal conditions	Malignant neoplasms	Cardiovascular diseases	Cardiovascular diseases
3	Cardiovascular diseases	Unintentional injuries	HIV/AIDS	Unintentional injuries
4	Tuberculosis	Cardiovascular diseases	Unintentional injuries	Intentional injuries
5	Unintentional injuries	Intentional injuries	Digestive diseases	Digestive diseases

Deaths Among Women Aged 30–44, by Disease and World Bank Country Income Level¹

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Women aged 45+ years. The most prevalent causes of death in this age group are noncommunicable diseases – cardiovascular diseases (47 percent of deaths), cancers (16 percent of deaths) and chronic respiratory diseases (10 percent of deaths). These three causes of death are prominent across all income groups.

Diseases and conditions across the country categories are more consistent than in other age categories, though infectious diseases are still more prominent in the low-income countries than in high- or middle-income countries.
In this age range, HIV/AIDS is only one of the top 10 causes of death in low-income countries. Tuberculosis, lower respiratory infections and a combination of other infectious diseases are also leading causes of death for women in low-income countries. However, these causes are less prevalent than some noncommunicable diseases and conditions.

Deaths Among Women Aged 45+ : Total and Leading Causes¹

	Low-Income Countries	Lower-Middle- Income Countries	Upper-Middle- Income Countries	High-Income Countries
	Total:6,184,924	Total:6,328,833	Total:1,247,096	Total:3,706,174
1	Cardiovascular diseases	Cardiovascular diseases	Cardiovascular diseases	Cardiovascular diseases
2	Malignant neoplasms	Malignant neoplasms	Malignant neoplasms	Malignant neoplasms
3	Chronic resp. diseases	Chronic resp. diseases	Diabetes mellitus	Chronic resp. diseases
4	Lower resp. infections	Digestive diseases	Chronic resp. diseases	Neuropsych. conditions
5	Unintentional injuries	Unintentional injuries	Digestive diseases	Lower resp. infections

Deaths Among Women Aged 45+, by Disease and World Bank Country Income Level¹

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Morbidity¹
List of Countries by Income Level

The leading causes of morbidity (illness or disability) among women differ by age and by country income level. Morbidity is measured in Disability Adjusted Life-Years (DALYs), which reveal the number of years of healthy life lost due to disability or early death.

Neuropsychiatric conditions are a leading cause of disability and productivity loss among women in all countries from low- to high-income. These conditions have higher morbidity than mortality. With the exception of neuropsychiatric conditions, many of the causes of high morbidity among women are also causes of mortality among them.

As with mortality, HIV/AIDS and maternal conditions are the primary causes of morbidity among women in their reproductive years (age 15–44); diseases associated with aging, such as cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms (commonly known as cancers) are the primary causes of morbidity among women over the age of 44.

Top Ten Causes of Morbidity in Women¹

	Number of DALYs	Percent of DALYs that Occur in Low-Income Countries
AGE 15–29
Total DALYs	141,631,820	62
Neuropsychiatric conditions	41,555,540	43
Maternal conditions	23,053,758	79
HIV/AIDS	17,299,389	76
Unintentional Injuries	13,937,172	64
Intentional Injuries	5,728,173	61
Tuberculosis	4,163,278	83
Sexually transmitted infections*	4,158,088	74
Cardiovascular diseases	4,031,342	69
Digestive diseases	3,329,900	68
Chronic respiratory diseases	3,088,656	49

AGE 30–44
Total DALYs	108,257,765	55
Neuropsychiatric conditions	21,911,123	38
HIV/AIDS	13,746,555	76
Maternal conditions	9,947,305	80
Sense organ diseases	9,910,284	56
Unintentional injuries	8,039,556	55
Cardiovascular diseases	6,678,205	50
Malignant neoplasms (cancers)	6,218,720	32
Musculoskeletal diseases	4,494,760	36
Tuberculosis	3,822,011	79
Digestive diseases	3,600,806	51

AGE 45+
Total DALYs	201,484,974	40
Cardiovascular diseases	54,861,096	42
Malignant neoplasms (cancers)	25,136,886	28
Sense organ diseases	25,115,360	45
Neuropsychiatric conditions	20,375,802	29
Chronic respiratory diseases	13,739,383	39
Digestive diseases	9,619,461	40
Musculoskeletal diseases	9,018,983	27
Unintentional injuries	7,112,567	50
Diabetes mellitus	6,220,810	36
Lower respiratory infections	4,766,062	69

* Excludes HIV/AIDS

Morbidity by age. There are similarities and differences in the causes of morbidity among women within and across the age categories of 15–29 years, 30–44 years and 45+ years. These patterns of disease reflect biological circumstances, disease prevalence in a region, and exposure to risk.

The burden of disease falls disproportionately on women from low-income countries and changes over a woman’s lifespan. For example, as with mortality, the burden of disease caused by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, other sexually transmitted infections and maternal conditions is disproportionately borne by women of reproductive age in low-income countries.

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Women aged 15–29 years. Overall, the top three causes of morbidity among women age 15–29 years are neuropsychiatric conditions, HIV/AIDS and maternal conditions, which together are responsible for nearly 60 percent of the DALYs among women in this age group.

These three conditions reflect the morbidity pattern in low-income countries (LICs), which is where most of these DALYs occur (76 percent of HIV/AIDS DALYs, 79 percent of maternal morbidity and 43 percent of DALYs due to neuropsychiatric conditions occur in LICs).
Infectious diseases have a greater burden in low-income countries. For example, eight in every 10 women aged 15–44 who experience disability and loss of productivity from tuberculosis live in low-income countries.

DALYs Among Women and Girls Aged 15–29: Total and Leading Causes¹

	Low-Income Countries	Lower-Middle- Income Countries	Upper-Middle- Income Countries	High-Income Countries
	Total: 87,804,486	Total: 35,678,092	Total: 8,832,385	Total: 9,265,350
1	Maternal conditions	Neuropsych. conditions	Neuropsych. conditions	Neuropsych. conditions
2	Neuropsych. conditions	Maternal conditions	Maternal conditions	Unintentional injuries
3	HIV/AIDS	HIV/AIDS	Unintentional injuries	Chronic resp. diseases
4	Unintentional injuries	Unintentional injuries	HIV/AIDS	Maternal conditions
5	Tuberculosis	Intentional injuries	Chronic resp. diseases	Nutritional def.

DALYs Among Women and Girls Aged 15–29, by Disease and
World Bank Country Income Level¹

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Women aged 30–44 years. Overall, neuropsychiatric conditions, HIV/AIDS and maternal conditions are the top three causes of morbidity for women aged 30–44 and together are responsible for more than 40 percent of the disease burden among women in this age group.

In low-income countries, HIV/AIDS is the number one cause of morbidity for women in this age group and is the number two cause of morbidity worldwide.
The leading cause of DALYs for women of this age group worldwide is neuropsychiatric conditions, which are the second leading cause of morbidity for women in low-income countries.
The third highest cause of morbidity worldwide is maternal conditions, though the overwhelming majority of these DALYs occur in low-income countries. Maternal conditions do not rank among the top five highest causes of morbidity within lower middle, upper middle or high-income countries.
Diseases that affect the sensory organs begin to cause morbidity among women during this stage of life. Onchocerciasis, a disease mainly afflicting women in the poorest tropical countries, is a major cause of blindness among women. Cataracts and hearing loss associated with aging are the main causes of disability in this category.

DALYs Among Women Aged 30–44: Total and Leading Causes¹

	Low-Income Countries	Lower-Middle- Income Countries	Upper-Middle- Income Countries	High-Income Countries
	Total: 59,247,602	Total: 32,448,461	Total: 6,992,579	Total: 9,509,387
1	HIV/AIDS	Neuropsych. conditions	Neuropsych. conditions	Neuropsych. conditions
2	Neuropsych. conditions	Sense organ dis.	Malignant neoplasms	Malignant neoplasms
3	Maternal conditions	HIV/AIDS	Cardiovascular diseases	Chronic resp. diseases
4	Sense organ dis.	Unintentional injuries	Musculoskeletal dis.	Cardiovascular diseases
5	Unintentional injuries	Malignant neoplasms	Chronic resp. diseases	Sense organ dis.

DALYs Among Women Aged 30–44, by Disease and World Bank Country Income Level¹

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Women aged 45+ years. The burden of disease due to diseases and conditions related to aging, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancers, increases across the lifespan.

Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of morbidity among women of this age group; this is consistent across countries of all income levels.
Like cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms, sense organ diseases, such as loss of sight or hearing, are a leading cause of disability for women over 44 years in all countries from low- to high-income. Sense organ diseases are particularly disabling among this population in lower-middle and low-income countries.
Among women over age 44, chronic respiratory diseases are a leading cause of morbidity. Another leading cause of disease among this age group is lower respiratory infections. The burden of disease caused by these infections, such as pneumonia, disproportionately falls upon those in low-income countries – 69 percent of the burden of disease among these women occurs there.

DALYs Among Women Aged 45+: Total and Leading Causes¹

	Low-Income Countries	Lower-Middle- Income Countries	Upper-Middle- Income Countries	High-Income Countries
	Total: 83,146,841	Total: 70,594,088	Total: 14,985,993	Total: 32,664,356
1	Cardiovascular diseases	Cardiovascular diseases	Cardiovascular diseases	Cardiovascular diseases
2	Sense organ dis.	Sense organ dis.	Malignant neoplasms	Malignant neoplasms
3	Malignant neoplasms	Malignant neoplasms	Sense organ dis.	Neuropsych. conditions
4	Neuropsych. conditions	Neuropsych. conditions	Neuropsych. conditions	Sense organ dis.
5	Chronic resp. diseases	Chronic resp. diseases	Digestive diseases	Musculoskeletal dis.

DALYs Among Women Aged 45+, by Disease and World Bank Country Income Level¹

¹	World Health Organization. 2004. WHO global burden of disease (GBD) 2002 estimates (revised). Available from: www.who.int/healthinfo/global_burden_disease/en/index.html

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