Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Understanding the reasons why people die helps with the understanding of how they lived, in order to improve health services and reduce preventable deaths in every country, responding effectively to changing circumstances. Annual monitoring of causes of death allows countries to address their causes and adapt health systems to react effectively.

The leading causes of death are statistical estimates based on available data. These estimates are produced using data from multiple sources, including national vital registration data, latest estimates from WHO technical programmes, United Nations partners and inter-agency groups, as well as the Global Burden of Disease and other scientific studies. Before publishing, they are reviewed by WHO Member States through consultation with national focal points and WHO country and regional offices.

The top ten causes of death are statistical estimates based on available data. Death registration data is unavailable or unusable for Democratic People's Republic of Korea due to quality issues. Estimates of mortality by cause should be interpreted with caution. These estimates may be used for priority setting, however, they are not likely to be informative for policy evaluation or comparisons among countries.