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OBJECTIVE To identify factors associated with death before the start of anti-tuberculosis treatment, and early and late during treatment, among adult Taiwanese with culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). METHOD All adult culture-positive PTB patients in Taipei, Taiwan, were included in a retrospective cohort study in 2005-2010. RESULTS Of 4438 patients (mean age 64.6 years, 70.6% male), 76.8% were successfully treated, 5.4% died before start of treatment, 9.0% died within 8 weeks of treatment initiation and 8.8% died >8 weeks after treatment initiation. After controlling for potential confounders, age ≥ 65 years and male sex were associated with higher risks of death at all time periods investigated. High school education or higher reduced the risk of death before the start of and during treatment, while unemployment increased the risk of mortality during treatment. Cavity on chest X-ray and positivity for acid-fast bacilli were associated with lower risk of mortality before the start of treatment. CONCLUSION To lower mortality among adult culture-positive PTB patients, it is imperative for clinicians to maintain high awareness of TB and provide more intensive care early, especially for men, the elderly and people with lower socio-economic status (e.g., the unemployed and less educated).