Cancer Leading Cause of Death Among Israelis

In a report on the causes of death among Israelis, cancer of all types tops the list for deaths between 2000 and 2016. During that period, about 25% of all deaths were due to cancer, while 15% were due to heart problems. Among young people, road accidents were the leading killer.

The Health Ministry’s report spans the first 16 years of the current century, and finds that cancer is the top cause of death among women ages 15 through 74, and men ages 25 through 74. Heart disease followed as the second greatest killer. However, in women 75 and older, it was the number-one cause of death between 2014 and 2016, while it was the second biggest among those 45 and older. For women, kidney and liver problems were the third biggest cause of death between 2014 and 2016, followed by complications from diabetes. For men, diabetes was third, and diseases of the organs were fourth.

Among 15- to 24-year-olds, the main cause of death between 2014 and 2016 was accidents of various types, predominantly road accidents. It was also the third biggest killer of those between 25 and 44 years of age.

The figures show that in the past decade, there has been a reduction in the number of deaths from heart problems, murder, accidents, brain disease, kidney disease, suicide and diabetes. With that, there was a rise in the number of individuals diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.