Leading Causes of Death in Europe

While Europe is the world's second-smallest continent in terms of area, it is the third most populous continent after Asia and Africa with a population in 2005 of around 728 million, which is about 11 percent of the world's population. Europe hosts a large number of sovereign states, of which Russia is the largest by both area and population, while the Vatican is the smallest.

Since the Renaissance, Europe has had a major influence in culture, economics and social movements in the world. European demographics are important not only historically, but also in understanding current international relations and population issues. Some current and past issues in European demographics have included religious emigration, race relations, economic immigration, a declining birth rate, and an ageing population. As a matter of fact, ageing is one of the greatest social and economic challenges of the 21st century for the European societies.

Of the world regions, Europe has the highest proportion of population aged 65 or over; only Japan has a similar age structure. Currently, approximately 16 percent of the European population are aged 65 or over, and according to projections, will almost double to more than 28 percent in the year 2050. This increase is likely to place a heavy financial burden on society through pay-as-you-go financed pension, health and long-term care systems. Among Europe's elderly, those aged 65 to 84, diseases of the circulatory system account for 42 percent of all deaths. The highest death rates from this disease were in Estonia (2,305 men and 1,318 women per 100,000) and Lithuania (2,219 men and 1,335 women), while the lowest rates were in France (402 men and 169 women) and Portugal (460 men, 275 women).

Statistics show that the leading cause of death in the 45-64 age group is cancer, which is responsible for 41 percent of all deaths. Cancers of the lungs and throat were most common among men, while breast cancer was the most prevalent among women.

Suicide is responsible for 12 percent of all deaths among the 20-44 age group, with men being four times more likely than women to commit suicide. The highest suicide rates can be found in north-east Europe and the lowest rates in southern Europe.

Among Europe's younger population, external factors such as transport accidents and suicide are the most frequent cause of death. Transport accidents among males less than 19 years of age account for 50 percent of the European rate for external causes among both men and women in this age group. The male rate is, however, 2.4 times higher than the female rate. There is also a significant difference between Member States, which means that there are almost five times as many deaths among those under 20 in Slovakia than in Sweden.

In summary; two-thirds of the deaths in Europe are caused by circulatory diseases and cancer; heart attacks, strokes and other circulatory diseases account for 41 percent of all deaths; and cancer is responsible for 25 percent of all deaths and is the biggest killer of people aged 45-64. Seven risk factors are responsible for most of the burden of diseases. They are largely preventable and well known: high blood pressure, use of tobacco, harmful and hazardous alcohol use, high cholesterol, being overweight, low fruit and vegetable intake, and physical inactivity.