54 percent of deaths in 2019 caused by cancer or CVD
Lung cancer is still the most common type of cancer, accounting for nearly 22 percent of all cancer-related mortality (over 10 thousand persons). Of this group, nearly 3.7 thousand people died from cancer in lymphatic or blood-forming tissues, while in 3.5 thousand deaths the cause was colorectal cancer.
Doodsoorzaak | Share (% of total mortality) |
---|---|
Cancer | 29.6 |
Cardiovascular diseases | 24.6 |
Mental/behaviourial disorders and diseases of the nervous system | 14.2 |
Diseases of the respiratory system | 8.3 |
Non-natural deaths | 5.7 |
Diseases of the digestive system | 3.1 |
Other death causes | 14.5 |
* provisional figures |
CVD mortality down by one-quarter since 1970
Over the past 50 years, cardiovascular mortality has declined by one-quarter: from just under 50 thousand deaths in 1970 to over 37 thousand in 2019. The decline was more substantial among men (33 percent) than among women (15 percent).
Cancer mortality showed a steady rise at the same time: from over 25 thousand deaths in 1970 to 45 thousand in 2019, with a more significant increase among women than among men (90 versus 68 percent). From 2005 onwards, cancer has surpassed CVD as a death cause in male mortality. The same has applied to women only since 2016.
Jaar | Cancer (men) (x 1,000) | Cancer (women) (x 1,000) | CVD (men) (x 1,000) | CVD (women) (x 1,000) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1970 | 14.4 | 10.9 | 27.1 | 22.6 |
1971 | 14.8 | 10.9 | 26.8 | 22.6 |
1972 | 15.2 | 11.2 | 28.3 | 23.9 |
1973 | 15.8 | 11.4 | 26.8 | 22.9 |
1974 | 16.0 | 11.5 | 26.6 | 22.9 |
1975 | 16.6 | 11.8 | 27.6 | 23.2 |
1976 | 16.9 | 11.6 | 28.3 | 23.5 |
1977 | 16.7 | 11.8 | 26.8 | 23.0 |
1978 | 17.6 | 12.2 | 27.7 | 24.0 |
1979 | 17.6 | 12.6 | 27.8 | 23.7 |
1980 | 18.2 | 12.5 | 27.4 | 23.8 |
1981 | 18.4 | 13.2 | 27.8 | 24.4 |
1982 | 18.7 | 13.1 | 27.9 | 24.9 |
1983 | 18.7 | 13.4 | 27.8 | 24.6 |
1984 | 19.2 | 13.7 | 27.8 | 25.5 |
1985 | 19.2 | 14.1 | 28.4 | 25.9 |
1986 | 19.7 | 14.3 | 27.5 | 25.7 |
1987 | 20.1 | 14.9 | 26.2 | 24.6 |
1988 | 20.3 | 15.1 | 26.1 | 25.4 |
1989 | 20.1 | 15.3 | 26.2 | 25.6 |
1990 | 19.9 | 15.3 | 25.9 | 25.7 |
1991 | 20.1 | 15.5 | 25.8 | 26.1 |
1992 | 20.4 | 15.6 | 25.2 | 26.4 |
1993 | 20.5 | 16.0 | 26.6 | 27.7 |
1994 | 20.4 | 16.1 | 25.3 | 26.4 |
1995 | 20.4 | 16.1 | 25.5 | 26.6 |
1996 | 20.8 | 16.5 | 25.2 | 26.1 |
1997 | 20.4 | 16.7 | 24.3 | 25.5 |
1998 | 20.6 | 16.8 | 24.3 | 25.5 |
1999 | 21.0 | 17.2 | 24.0 | 25.6 |
2000 | 20.7 | 17.0 | 23.6 | 25.6 |
2001 | 20.6 | 17.1 | 22.8 | 24.8 |
2002 | 20.7 | 17.4 | 23.0 | 25.0 |
2003 | 20.8 | 17.4 | 22.6 | 24.3 |
2004 | 21.1 | 17.7 | 21.4 | 23.3 |
2005 | 21.2 | 18.1 | 20.8 | 22.6 |
2006 | 21.3 | 18.2 | 19.9 | 21.9 |
2007 | 21.7 | 18.1 | 19.3 | 21.5 |
2008 | 21.9 | 18.9 | 18.8 | 21.4 |
2009 | 22.5 | 18.8 | 18.3 | 20.6 |
2010 | 23.1 | 19.2 | 18.3 | 20.7 |
2011 | 23.0 | 19.9 | 17.9 | 20.3 |
2012 | 23.5 | 19.8 | 18.0 | 20.3 |
2013 | 22.9 | 19.5 | 18.0 | 20.5 |
2014 | 23.2 | 19.8 | 17.7 | 20.2 |
2015 | 23.9 | 20.3 | 18.6 | 20.8 |
2016 | 24.5 | 20.7 | 18.1 | 20.5 |
2017 | 24.5 | 20.4 | 18.1 | 20.1 |
2018 | 24.4 | 20.4 | 18.3 | 19.5 |
2019* | 24.3 | 20.7 | 18.2 | 19.2 |
* provisional figures |
Cancer mortality down in relative terms
Notwithstanding the absolute annual increase in cancer mortality, cancer has become a less common death cause in relative terms. When taking into account population growth and ageing, the cancer mortality rate has shown a downward trend as of the late 1980s. This decline is more significant among men. Among women it is small, mainly due to an increase in lung cancer deaths. The standardised CVD mortality rate (number of deaths in every 100 thousand persons) has been falling since the early 1970s.