Heart disease remains the Philippines’ leading cause of death

PSA’s provisional data covers deaths recorded from January to March 2026.

Heart disease remained the leading cause of death in the Philippines in the first three months of 2026, according to provisional data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

In a PSA report dated Sept. 25, ischaemic heart diseases accounted for 23,448 deaths, or 21.2% of all deaths recorded nationwide from January to March.

Neoplasms, which include cancers, followed with 10,977 deaths, while cerebrovascular diseases ranked third with 10,584.

Pneumonia and diabetes mellitus rounded out the top five, with 8,913 and 6,292 deaths, respectively.

The latest figures cover deaths were based on timely and late registered deaths processed by the PSA as of July 31.

The causes of death reflect a pattern seen for more than a decade. PSA data show that ischaemic heart diseases, neoplasms, cerebrovascular diseases, pneumonia, and diabetes mellitus occupied the top five spots in each year from 2013 to 2017, although their exact order varied.

The same five conditions continued to appear among the country’s leading causes of death in more recent PSA releases, including 2024 and 2025.

The PSA said the provisional figures exclude vital events involving Filipinos that occurred abroad. However, they include those that took place in the Philippines involving Filipinos who usually reside abroad, as well as foreign nationals.

The agency pointed out that the figures may change in its final report, slated for January 2028.

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