PUTRAJAYA: Ischaemic heart disease remained the leading cause of death in Malaysia in 2024, accounting for 17,421 fatalities or 13 per cent of medically certified deaths, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said a total of 198,992 deaths were recorded nationwide last year.
Of these, 133,844 deaths (67.3 per cent) were medically certified, while 65,148 (32.7 per cent) were non-medically certified.
He noted that the proportion of medically certified deaths increased to 67.3 per cent in 2024 from 60.7 per cent (119,652) in 2023.
“A total of 12,112 male deaths, or 15.3 per cent, were caused by ischaemic heart disease, while pneumonia was the leading cause of death among females, accounting for 6,776 deaths or 12.4 per cent,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
Mohd Uzir said ischaemic heart disease continued to be the principal cause of death among Malays and Indians, with 10,291 deaths (13.9 per cent) among Malays and 2,161 deaths (17.6 per cent) among Indians.
For the Chinese and other Bumiputera communities, pneumonia was the leading cause of death, recording 4,231 fatalities (12.7 per cent) and 1,016 deaths (9.7 per cent), respectively.
Overall, pneumonia ranked as the second leading cause of death, with 15,332 fatalities (11.5 per cent), followed by diabetes mellitus at 6,929 deaths (5.2 per cent) and transport accidents at 4,428 deaths (3.3 per cent).
He said cancer-related deaths rose significantly, from 5,231 cases in 2001 to 19,180 in 2024. The highest number of cancer deaths involved cancers of the digestive organs (5,825 deaths), followed by respiratory and intrathoracic organs (2,987 deaths), and breast cancer (2,173 deaths).
Mohd Uzir said ischaemic heart disease is largely influenced by unhealthy lifestyle practices and dietary habits. He cited the Health Ministry, which explained that the disease occurs when blood vessels supplying the heart muscle become hardened and narrowed.
“Major risk factors include smoking, high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, diabetes and age. Other contributing factors are obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and family history,” he said.
He added that pneumonia-related deaths were partly influenced by post-pandemic respiratory infections, particularly among individuals with weakened immune systems or pre-existing medical conditions.
Other non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and kidney failure, were also closely linked to unhealthy lifestyles and diet.
By age group, pneumonia was the leading cause of death among individuals aged 60 and above, with 11,989 deaths (13.9 per cent), and among children under 14, with 244 deaths (5.6 per cent).
Among those aged 15 to 40, transport accidents were the main cause of death, accounting for 2,547 fatalities (20.0 per cent). For individuals aged 41 to 59, ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause, with 5,380 deaths (17.6 per cent).
Ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of death in 13 states, while pneumonia was the top cause in Perak, Sabah and Sarawak.
“Selangor recorded the highest number of deaths due to ischaemic heart disease at 3,038 cases, followed by Johor with 2,620 and Kedah with 2,349,” he said.
Mohd Uzir also noted that globally, heart disease was the leading cause of death in the United States and Australia in 2023. In contrast, cancer was the principal cause in Japan, South Korea, Canada and Singapore, while dementia and Alzheimer’s disease were the leading causes of death in the United Kingdom.
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