TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's top ten causes of death in 2023 included four respiratory-related diseases, according to pulmonologist Su Yi-feng on Tuesday (June 18).
These include cancer, with lung cancer ranked first, followed by pneumonia (third), COVID-19 (sixth), and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (ninth).
Despite a decline in smoking rates in Taiwan, Su noted an increase in respiratory diseases. He emphasized the urgent need to address air pollution.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) revealed on Monday, June 17, that cancer remained the leading cause of death in Taiwan in 2023. Every 9 minutes, 53 seconds, one person died from cancer, a rate 14 seconds faster than the previous year.
Lung cancer topped three categories in Taiwan: it was the number one cause of death, the most common type of cancer, and the disease that cost the health insurance system the most.