In Latvia, as in much of Europe, chronic diseases are the leading cause of death. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer account for 82% of non-communicable disease (NCD) deaths, with CVD and diabetes alone responsible for 50.2%. Premature death is a significant factor in assessing the impact of NCDs, with about 42% of all NCD deaths occurring before age 70 in 2012. Among these, cardiovascular diseases (37%) and diabetes (4%) contributed to 41% of NCD deaths under 70, followed by cancers (27%), other causes (23%), and chronic respiratory diseases (8%). The probability of dying from the four main NCDs between ages 30 and 70 in Latvia was 25.3% in 2000 and 24.1% in 2012, surpassing the global average of 23% and ranking highest in the EU and third among high-income countries. WHO data from 2012 reveals that Latvia has the highest age-standardized mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases in Europe, with rates of 512.4 for males and 266.5 for females, despite a slight decrease since 2000, compared to neighboring countries like Estonia and Lithuania.
