1. The standardized death rates steadily declined, whereas the life expectancy of Taiwanese people continued to increase. 
154,374 people died in 2013, which was an increase of 0.4% compared to the previous year. The number of male deaths was 1.5 times more than that of female deaths. The standardized death rate was 435.3 per 100,000 population, representing a decrease of 3.4% from the previous year. 
According to the initial estimates provided by the Ministry of the Interior, in 2013, the life expectancy at birth was 79.9 years for the total population, 76.7 years for men, and 83.3 years for women in Taiwan, which increased by 0.4 years, 0.3 years, and 0.4 years, respectively, as compared to the previous year. 

2. Diabetes moved up slightly in the rankings compared to the previous year, and suicide remained out of the top ten causes of death for four consecutive years starting in 2010. 
The ten leading causes of death were (in descending order): (1) Malignant neoplasms; (2) Heart disease; (3) Cerebrovascular disease; (4) Diabetes; (5) Pneumonia; (6) Accidents and adverse effects; (7) Chronic lower respiratory disease; (8) Hypertensive disease; (9) Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis; and (10) Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis. The rankings of pneumonia and diabetes exchanged places compared to the previous year. 
In comparison with the previous year, the standardized death rates for the ten leading causes of death all dropped, especially chronic lower respiratory disease (a decrease of 9.5%), followed by pneumonia (7.8%) and accidents and adverse effects (5.9%). 
In 2013, suicide was ranked the 11th most common cause of death, accounting for 3,565 deaths. The suicide-caused standardized death rate was 12 per 100,000 population, which was a decrease of 8.4% from the previous year. Suicide remained out of the top ten causes of death for four consecutive years starting in 2010. 

3. Chronic diseases were the major causes of death in 2013. 69.1% of all deaths occurred among people aged 65 and above. 
In 2013, 69.1% of all deaths occurred among people aged 65 and older, with a significant peak among people aged 85 and older. The median age at death was 76 years, which is one year older compared to the previous year. 
The ten leading causes of death in 2013 were mostly chronic diseases, which were responsible for 64.2% of all deaths. A constant decline was observed in the number of deaths caused by accidents and adverse effects. From the perspective of age, malignant neoplasms were the number one killer among the age group of 1-14 year olds for the first time, and among the age group of 25 years and older, while accidents and adverse effects were the leading cause of death for the age group of 15-24 year olds. 

4. There were slight changes in the rankings of the ten leading causes of death from cancer, and the standardized death rates were mostly declining compared to the previous year. 
In 2013, 44,791 people in Taiwan died of cancer, accounting for 29.0% of all deaths. The standardized death rate was 130.4 per 100,000 population, which was a slight decrease of 0.7% from the previous year and a decrease of 8.9% compared to 2003. 
The ten leading causes of death from cancer were (in descending order): (1) Trachea, bronchus and lung cancer; (2) Liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer; (3) Colon, rectum and anus cancer; (4) Female breast cancer; (5) Oral cavity cancer; (6) Prostate cancer; (7) Stomach cancer; (8) Pancreatic cancer; (9) Esophageal cancer; and (10) Cancer of the cervix uteri and of uterus, part unspecified. The rankings of stomach cancer and prostate cancer exchanged places compared to the previous year. 
The standardized death rates for the ten leading causes of death from cancer mostly dropped compared to the previous year, except for the standardized death rates for pancreatic cancer, oral cavity cancer, and esophageal cancer, which rose slightly.