Leading causes of death in the UK 2018

In 2018 there were over 40 thousand deaths caused by ischaemic heart diseases in the United Kingdom, making it the leading cause of death in that year. Since 2001 there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people dying from dementia or alzheimers, which caused 26.5 thousand deaths in 2018, an increase of almost ten thousand when compared with 2012.

Leading causes of deaths in the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2018, by group

Characteristic	Cerebrovascular diseases	Chronic lower respiratory diseases	Dementia and Alzheimer disease	Influenza and pneumonia	Ischaemic heart diseases	Malignant neoplasm of trachea, bronchus and lung
2018	15,437	17,988	26,579	14,708	40,214	18,587
2017	15,472	17,821	25,880	13,746	40,789	18,825
2016	15,991	17,671	23,572	13,677	40,117	19,328
2015	16,519	17,910	22,794	14,460	41,778	19,164
2014	16,199	16,384	19,179	12,334	41,195	19,569
2013	16,222	16,941	18,222	13,463	42,885	19,488
2012	16,153	16,253	16,792	13,132	42,677	19,304
2011	16,468	15,291	14,453	13,019	43,040	19,604
2010	19,244	14,723	13,288	14,025	46,430	19,426
2009	19,133	14,933	12,148	14,775	47,149	19,746
2008	20,323	15,553	12,128	15,129	49,473	19,883
2007	18,308	14,727	10,638	14,819	51,386	19,118
2006	21,264	14,707	9,538	15,091	52,594	19,637
2005	21,862	15,333	9,084	15,986	56,135	19,473
2004	22,969	15,143	8,958	15,648	58,565	19,502
2003	24,930	16,445	9,145	17,355	62,400	19,792
2002	25,538	15,815	9,135	16,284	64,473	20,270
2001	25,208	15,674	8,890	15,985	66,399	20,437

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Release date

March 2020

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Region

United Kingdom

Survey time period

2001 to 2018

Supplementary notes

The source adds the following information regarding methodology: "In 2011, there was an update to the coding framework used to code cause of death. This meant that deaths from vascular dementia that were previously coded to cerebrovascular disease (I60 to I69) would be coded to vascular dementia (F01). There were further changes to the framework in 2014, where deaths that were coded to chest infection (J98) would now be coded to chest infection (J22) but those with a mention of dementia (F01 or F03) would now be coded to dementia (F01 or F03). In addition, deaths that were previously coded to aspiration pneumonia (I69) where dementia was mentioned on the death certificate would now be coded to dementia (F01 or F03).

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