Abstract: Objective To understand the major death cause in local population in Xuhui district and provide evidence for the development of prevention and control strategies. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was conducted on the death surveillance data in Xuhui in 2011. Results The crude death rate was 7.55‰ in local population in Xuhui in 2011, the standardized death rate was 7.76‰. The crude death rate in males was 8.18‰ (standardized rate: 8.42‰), the crude death rate in females was 6.94‰ (standardized rate: 7.11‰). The main death causes included circulatory system disease, tumor, respiratory system disease, metabolic disease and injury/poisoning. The deaths caused by these diseases accounted for 82.39% of the total. The life expectancy was 84.26 years in local population in Xuhui in 2011 (82.13 years for males, 86.41 years for females). Conclusion Chronic/non communicable disease was the major death cause in local population in Xuhui. It is necessary to conduct comprehensive prevention and control of chronic disease by developing effective strategies, multi sectoral cooperation and community participation.