Pneumonia emerged as the leading cause of death in Malaysia in 2023, with 18,181 recorded fatalities, said Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin.
He said the Statistics on Causes of Death, Malaysia 2024 report indicates that pneumonia accounted for 15.2 per cent of the 119,952 medically certified deaths last year.
“Pneumonia supersedes ischaemic heart disease as the principal cause of death for the first time in two decades, except in 2021 when COVID-19 infection was the leading cause,” he said in a statement today.
He attributed the rise in pneumonia-related deaths to post-pandemic effects, as respiratory infections in the community may lead to pneumonia, especially in those with weakened immune systems and existing health conditions.
Ischaemic heart disease, Malaysia’s second-leading cause of death, is largely tied to unhealthy lifestyle practices and dietary habits, he added.
Mohd Uzir further said that in 2023, 12,648 male deaths, or 17.6 per cent, were due to ischemic heart disease, while the leading cause of death for females was pneumonia, accounting for 7,815 deaths, or 16.4 per cent.
He also said that pneumonia-related deaths were more frequently recorded among the Chinese and Other Bumiputera ethnic groups, with 4,887 deaths (16.4 per cent) and 1,255 deaths (12.2 per cent), respectively, in 2023.
On the other hand, ischemic heart disease was the primary cause of death among the Malays and Indians, at 16 per cent and 20.6 per cent, respectively.
“The principal cause of death for the population aged 60 years and over was pneumonia, which recorded 14,377 deaths or 19.3 per cent, while the population aged 41-59 years recorded ischaemic heart diseases at 19.8 per cent (5,673 deaths),” he said.
Mohd Uzir said that pneumonia was also the principal cause of death in six states, namely Pahang, Perlis, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan, while 10 other states recorded ischemic heart disease as the top cause of death.
He added that Perlis recorded the highest percentage of pneumonia-related deaths at 18.6 per cent, followed by Penang (17.8 per cent) and Sabah (14.2 per cent).
Pneumonia was also the leading cause of death in 78 administrative districts, and the highest percentage was recorded in Kubang Pasu, Kedah, with 26.3 per cent.
Meanwhile, Mohd Uzir said cerebrovascular diseases ranked as the third-highest cause of death in 2023 (7.2 per cent), followed by transport accidents (3.5 per cent).
Statistics also showed a significant rise in cancer-related deaths, which grew from 5,231 deaths in 2001 to 16,545 deaths in 2023.
The highest number of cancer-related deaths were linked to digestive organs (5,054 deaths), followed by respiratory and intrathoracic organs (2,530 deaths) and breast cancer (1,681 deaths), he said. — Bernama
