The Health Ministry released the 2022 National Cause of Death Statistics, showing that cancer is the leading cause of death in Taiwan, followed by heart disease, and COVID-19. The health ministry reports that cancer has held its place for 41 consecutive years.
The total number of deaths in 2022 was 208,000, which showed an increase of 24,000, or 13.2%, from the previous year, mainly due to the COVID-19 epidemic and the aging population. The top 10 causes of death have remained the same from 2011 to 2021. But in 2022, COVID-19 made the ranking, jumping from #19 in 2021 to #3 with over 10,000 deaths.
However, cancer claimed 51,927 lives last year, accounting for 24.9% of all deaths. Lung cancer, followed by liver cancer, have both been ranked as the top 2 for 43 consecutive years. Colon, rectal, breast, prostate, oral, pancreatic, stomach, and esophageal cancers rank third to tenth.