JERUSALEM, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- In recent years, about a quarter of deaths in Israel were caused by cancer, a statement of Israeli Ministry of Health said Thursday.
The ministry released a publication called "Leading causes of death in Israel 2000-2016," which presents trends in mortality rates by cause of death.
The second most common reason for death was heart disease, followed by cerebrovascular disease and diabetes.
The four causes were accountable for nearly half of all deaths in Israel in 2016.
In the last decade, rates of death from most causes have been decreasing in Israel.
Total mortality ratio decreased by 27 percent between 2000 and 2016.
In comparison to the United States and most European countries, mortality rate in Israel was lower.
Although the general decrease, death caused by some diseases actually rose over the years, with the highest increase attributed to dementia.
