Pneumonia becomes leading cause of death in Malaysia

This figure surpasses fatalities recorded from ischaemic heart disease which was the main cause of death in the country for the past two decades, except in 2021 when COVID-19 topped the list.

Pneumonia accounted for 15.2% of the 119,952 medically certified deaths last year, the statistics on causes of death, Malaysia 2024 report revealed.

Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin noted that the rise in pneumonia-related deaths may be as a result of respiratory infections from the post-pandemic period.

This poses higher risks for persons with weakened immune systems.

“Pneumonia supersedes ischaemic heart disease as the principal cause of death for the first time in two decades, except in 2021 when COVID-19 infection was the leading cause,” Dr Uzir was quoted.

While pneumonia was the top cause of death among women with 7,815 cases (16.4%), ischemic heart disease remained the primary cause of death among men, causing 12,648 deaths (17.6%).

Pneumonia was also the main cause of death among Chinese and Other Bumiputera ethnic groups, accounting for 4,887 and 1,255 deaths, respectively, while ischaemic heart disease was most prevalent among Malays (16%) and Indians (20.6%).

Dr. Uzir added that pneumonia was the leading cause of death in six states, including Penang, Pahang, and Sabah, as well as in 78 districts, with the highest rate in Kubang Pasu, Kedah, at 26.3%.

Deaths from cancer saw a notable increase, rising from 5,231 cases in 2001 to 16,545 in 2023. The most common cancer-related deaths were linked to digestive organs (5,054), followed by respiratory and intrathoracic organs (2,530), and breast cancer (1,681). Cerebrovascular diseases ranked as the third-highest cause of death (7.2%), with transport accidents following at 3.5%.