Fewer COVID-19 deaths caused the overall mortality rate to fall last year, while cancer was the top killer for the 42nd year in a row, Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed on Monday.
A total of 205,575 people died last year, 2,863 fewer than in 2022, a decline of 1.4 percent.
The ministry mainly attributed the fall to fewer deaths from COVID-19, down 1.5 percent annually to 880.7 people out of 100,000.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
COVID-19 also fell to the No. 6 cause of death overall from No. 3 in 2022.
The top 10 causes of death last year in order were cancer, cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, COVID-19, hypertension, accident, chronic lower respiratory disease and kidney disease.
The top 10 causes accounted for three-quarters of all deaths last year, Department of Statistics Director Lu Shu-chun (呂淑君) said.
The most notable differences were a 16.6 percent rise in pneumatic deaths and a 38.9 percent fall in COVID-19 deaths, Lu said.
Accidents were the leading cause of death among those younger than 25, Lu added.
Cancer killed 53,126 people last year — 25.8 percent of the total or 227.6 people in every 100,000 — up 2.2 percent from 2022.
About 87 percent were over 55 years old.
The leading types of cancer were lung, liver, colorectal, breast, prostate, oral, pancreatic, stomach, esophageal and ovarian.
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