Abstract: Objective To study the constitution of the death causes of the residents, the mortality trend of major diseases and the change of spectrum of disease, evaluate peoples health status in Dongcheng district and provide scientific evidence for the comprehensive prevention and control of chronic disease in community. Methods According to the death cause code in international classification of diseases,10th edition (ICD-10), the surveillance data of death causes from 2005 to 2009 in Dongcheng district were analyzed by using software of DeathReg 2005. Results The first three death causes were malignant tumor, heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Among malignant tumors, the mortality of lung cancer was highest (43.10/lakh),followed by liver cancer (16.54/lakh). The PYLL rate of malignant tumor was highest (8.01). Compared with those during 1995 - 1999, the mortality of heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases during 2005 - 2009 declined, while the mortality of malignant tumor increased. Conclusion The major death causes of the residents in Dongcheng district were malignant tumor, heart diseases and cerebrovascular disease. The mortality and PYLL rate of lung cancer were highest.