Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in North America

North America: Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and was 15.9% in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
15.9%
Change on year
up 7.5%
Rank
41st
of 47 groups
All-time high
15.9%
in 2021
All-time low
5.1%
in 2019
Years of data
6
2000–2021

Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in North America, 2000–2021

57.51012.5152000201020212000: 6.2 % of total2010: 5.7 % of total2015: 5.7 % of total2019: 5.1 % of total2020: 14.8 % of total2021: 15.9 % of total

Source: Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of total.

Analysis

The most recent figure for cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in North America is 15.9%, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

That represents a change of up 7.5% on the previous year and up 178.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in North America peaked at 15.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.1%, in 2019.

North America ranks 41st of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in North America, year by year

Annual values for Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions (% of total) in North America, 2000 to 2021.
Year % of total Change
2000 6.2%
2010 5.7% -8.3%
2015 5.7% +0.3%
2019 5.1% -11.1%
2020 14.8% +190.1%
2021 15.9% +7.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6.2% 6.2% 6.2% 1
2010s 5.5% 5.1% 5.7% 3
2020s 15.3% 14.8% 15.9% 2

Countries ranked near North America

  1. 38 South Africa 46.4% compare
  2. 39 Togo 45.4% compare
  3. 40 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 44.9% compare
  4. 41 Paraguay 44.7% compare
  5. 42 Sudan 44.4% compare
  6. 43 Guyana 44.0% compare
  7. 44 Nicaragua 43.3% compare

See the full ranking of 232 places →

More health data for North America

All data for North America →

Frequently asked questions

What is cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in North America?
Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in North America was 15.9% in 2021, according to Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and recorded in North America?
The highest recorded value was 15.9% in 2021.
What is the lowest cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and recorded in North America?
The lowest recorded value was 5.1% in 2019.
How does North America rank for cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and?
North America ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2021.
Is cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and rising or falling in North America?
Over the last ten years it is up 178.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this North America data come from?
The figures come from Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions (% of total). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and in North America. Statizoid, drawing on Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/cause-of-death-by-communicable-diseases-and-maternal-prenatal-and-nutrition-conditions/north-america/

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About this data

Indicator
Cause of death, by communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions (% of total)
Unit
% of total
Source
Global Health Estimates, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
232 places, 1,392 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed

Cause of death refers to the share of all deaths for all ages by underlying causes. Communicable diseases and maternal, prenatal and nutrition conditions include infectious and parasitic diseases, respiratory infections, and nutritional deficiencies such as underweight and stunting.