Abstract: ObjectiveTo find out the features of death causes for the people in villages where endemic unexplained sudden death in Yunnan occurred, and provide clues to explore causes of endemic unexplained sudden death in Yunnan. MethodsAll the villages in surveillance area of endemic unexplained sudden death in Yunnan were divided into two groups (case group and control group) on the basis of occurrence of unexplained sudden death or not in the past decades. The death rates, death spectrum and seasonal feature of death in two groups were analyzed and compared. ResultsThe crude death rate in case group was 0.90% (age-adjusted death rate: 0.69%), the crude death rate in control group was 0.62% (age-adjusted death rate: 0.48%). The first five leading death causes in case group were respiratory disease, circulatory disease, injury/poisoning, endemic unexplained sudden death in Yunnan and cancer, and the first five leading death causes in control group were circulatory disease, respiratory disease, injury/poisoning, cancer and digestive disease. More deaths occurred in August, January, and July in case group, and more deaths occurred in February, March and May in control group. ConclusionThe death level and death patterns were different significantly between case group and control group.