These inequities exist not just among regions or countries but also among populations within countries. Most urban areas, in developed and developing countries alike, contain large numbers of people who are unemployed, elderly, or beyond the reach of basic social and health services. In the inner-city areas of many developed countries, for example, immunization rates are below those in the developing world. Main Causes of Death Worldwide, about 51 million people died in 1993. Globally, the biggest killers were infectious and parasitic diseases, which account for nearly one third of the total, and diseases of the circulatory system, which account for another one fifth.
Causes of death differ dramatically between developed and developing countries.
In the developed countries, where residents usually receive adequate medical care and life expectancy is generally over 70, chronic diseases have become the big killers. Heart Disease Heart disease is associated with factors such as smoking, diet, blood pressure, and cholesterol. There are remarkably sharp differences in the incidence of heart disease among different groups. Cancer Of the 6 million cancer deaths in 1993 in all countries, lung cancer accounted for more than 1 million deaths and was the single biggest killer, followed by stomach cancer, which accounted for 734,000 deaths. Female breast cancer claimed more than 250,000 lives worldwide.