The top 5 causes of death in China from 2000 to 2017

Limited information is available on the epidemiological characteristics of major causes of death in the last 18 years. In this study, we investigated the epidemiological characteristics of the top 5 causes of death in China from 2000 to 2017. Data were obtained from the 18-year reports of Ministry of Health and analyzed by Grid Search Method, Permutation test, and log-linear regression model. The top 5 consistent causes of death, malignant tumor, cerebrovascular disease, heart trouble, respiratory disease, trauma and toxicosis accounted for 82.6% in 2000, 86.49% in 2017 in urban areas and 83.31% in 2000, 88.34% in 2017 in rural areas. The increasing trends (P < 0.05) of proportions of death of malignant tumor, cerebrovascular disease, and heart trouble have average annual percent change (AAPC) = 0.5%, 0.3%, 2.4% in urban areas and 1.7%, 1.5%, 4.3% in rural areas. The AAPCs of respiratory disease are − 1.4% in urban areas and − 3.6% in rural areas. Cardio-cerebrovascular disease increased (Urban: 39.02% to 43.56%, AAPC = 1.3%, P < 0.05; Rural: 32.03% to 45.91%, AAPC = 2.7%, P < 0.05) steeply from 2000 to 2017 which are higher than that of malignant tumor (P < 0.05). The top 5 causes of death in China accounted for more than 85% of all deaths in 2017, in which cardio-cerebrovascular disease accounted for the largest proportion with the steepest increasing trend.