As of 2025 estimates, the Holy See (Vatican City) has the highest crude death rate, with approximately 25.08 deaths per 1,000 people per year. The high rate is due to its unique demographic structure, which consists almost entirely of elderly, non-permanent residents (clergy and officials).
Death rate - Country rankings
The average for 2022 based on 196 countries was 8.24 deaths per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 55.13 deaths per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Qatar: 0.93 deaths per 1000 people.
The leading cause is cardiovascular disease at 31.59% of all deaths.
The United States leads in the total number of annual road accidents due to its vast road network and high number of drivers, with millions of crashes reported yearly, followed by countries like India and China. However, when looking at the rate (deaths per 100,000 people), countries like Guinea and some African nations often rank highest for road fatalities, showing a difference between total incidents and severity/risk.
According to the American Heart Association's 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S.
Dementia (including Alzheimer's disease) is now Australia's leading cause of death overall, closely followed by ischaemic heart disease, with the gap narrowing as the population ages; however, coronary heart disease remains the top killer for males, while dementia leads for females. Other major causes include cerebrovascular disease (stroke), lung cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases (COPD).
Globally, Ischaemic Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease) is the number one cause of death, responsible for a significant portion of deaths, with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) as the leading overall killer, followed by cancer, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In the United States, heart disease also remains the top killer, while dementia and Alzheimer's are leading causes in places like Australia, with figures varying slightly by country and year.
The Nordic country gets many things right – and driving is one of them. According to the data we sourced from OurWorldInData and Gov.UK, Norway has officially earned the title of the safest place to drive in the world, with only 1.5 traffic-related fatalities per 100,000 people.
How does our road toll compare internationally? According to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) international road death comparisons, Australia's rate of 4.7 deaths per 100,000 population was ranked 20th out of the 34 countries.
Guinea. Guinea has the highest road fatality rate in the world, with 37.4 deaths per 100,000 population and costs around $1.4 billion annually. The majority of the fatalities are reported among pedestrians, motorcyclists, and occupants of vehicles.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the United States, accounting for 25 percent of all male deaths. Various factors, including smoking, high cholesterol levels and obesity, can cause heart disease.
cancer. dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. advanced lung, heart, kidney and liver disease. stroke and other neurological diseases, including motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis.
In the United States in 2021, the death rate was highest among those aged 85 and over, with about 17,190.5 men and 14,914.5 women per 100,000 of the population passing away.
KAZAKHSTAN and SIERRA LEONE abolished the death penalty for all crimes. PAPUA NEW GUINEA, the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, and ZAMBIA abolished the death penalty for all crimes. ZIMBABWE abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes.
AIAN and Hispanic people had the highest rates of death, and all groups of color had a higher death rate than White people as of January 2021. Following that surge, death rates fell across all racial and ethnic groups and disparities narrowed by early summer 2021.
The 2024 GPI indicates Iceland, Ireland, Austria, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Portugal, Denmark, Slovenia, Malaysia and Canada to be the most peaceful countries, while Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Congo, Russia, Syria, Israel and Mali to be the least peaceful.
The number one killer on Australian roads is speeding, consistently identified as a major contributor to fatal crashes, often cited as a factor in about one-third of all deaths, significantly increasing crash severity and reducing driver reaction time, with drink driving and fatigue also key factors in the "Fatal Five" dangers. Even slight excess speed dramatically raises the risk of a fatal outcome, especially in regional areas with higher speed limits and poorer road conditions.
Countries where you are least likely to die on the road
New South Wales (NSW) is Australia's most-visited state with endless beaches, the famous Blue Mountains, and the iconic city of Sydney. But the vibrant state also happens to be home to some of the best roads to drive in Australia.
According to World Health Organization data, Guinea tops the list as the deadliest place to drive, with a staggering estimated road death rate of 37.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Libya isn't far behind, clocking in at 34.0 deaths, likely fueled by a mix of poor road conditions and political instability.
Figure 1 displays fatality rates per 100,000 population for the six race-ethnicity groups from 2016 to 2020. AIAN people had the highest fatality rate at 22.79 per 100,000 population, while Asian people had the lowest fatality rate at 2.07 per 100,000 population in 2020.
Iceland is consistently ranked as the #1 safest country in the world by the Global Peace Index (GPI), a position it has held for over a decade due to extremely low crime, no standing army, high social cohesion, and minimal conflict, though some other reports might place Switzerland or the Netherlands first based on different survey criteria.
The number one killer in the world is cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke, responsible for about one-third of all global deaths, claiming nearly 18-20 million lives annually, and remains the leading cause across all regions, according to WHO and World Heart Federation. While COVID-19 caused significant deaths in recent years, CVD has consistently held the top spot for decades, with increases seen globally, especially in younger populations.
Record numbers of men and women globally are now estimated to have reduced kidney function, a new study shows. Figures rose from 378 million people with the disease in 1990 to 788 million in 2023 as the world population grew and aged, making it for the first time a top 10 cause of death worldwide.