Cancer has remained the leading cause of death in Taiwan for 30 consecutive years, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Health May 25.
Cancer claimed 42,559 lives in 2011, accounting for 28 percent of all deaths. It was followed by cardiac disease at 10.9 percent, cerebrovascular disease at 7.1 percent, diabetes and pneumonia, both at 6 percent, accidents at 4.4 percent, chronic lower respiratory disease at 3.9 percent, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis at 3.4 percent, hypertensive disease at 3 percent, and kidney disease at 2.9 percent, the DOH said.
Among the cancer-related fatalities, the top 10 are lung, liver, colorectal, breast, oral, stomach, prostate, pancreatic, esophageal and cervical cancers.
The DOH added that the figures also showed 3,507 people committed suicide last year, accounting for 2.3 percent of the deceased. It was the 12th cause of death in 2011, the second consecutive year that it was not on the top 10 list, the department noted.
In addition, the statistics revealed that the average life expectancy in Taiwan was 76 years for males and 82.7 years for females in 2011, up 1.9 years and 2.7 years, respectively, from a decade ago, the DOH said. (HZW)
Write to Grace Kuo at mlkuo@mofa.gov.tw