From 2018 to 2023, heart disease and cancer accounted for the highest share of deaths in the United States. In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death, accounting for around 12 percent of all deaths in 2021. However, by 2023, COVID-19 was responsible for only 1.6 percent of deaths, making it the tenth leading cause of death. This statistic shows the distribution of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States from 2018 to 2023.

In 2023, heart disease and cancer accounted for the highest share of deaths in the United States. In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death. However, by 2023, COVID-19 was responsible for only 1.6 percent of deaths, making it the tenth leading cause of death. This statistic shows the distribution of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States in 2023.

Effective September 27, 2023, this dataset will no longer be updated. Similar data are accessible from wonder.cdc.gov. Provisional counts of deaths by the week the deaths occurred, by state of occurrence, and by select underlying causes of death for 2020-2023. The dataset also includes weekly provisional counts of death for COVID-19, coded to ICD-10 code U07.1 as an underlying or multiple cause of death. NOTE: death counts are presented with a one week lag.

Heart disease and cancer remained the leading causes of death in the United States from 2018 to 2023. However, there have been slight changes in the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. from 2018 to 2023. Most notable is that COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in 2020 and 2021, but by 2023 it was the tenth leading cause. This statistic shows the rates of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States from 2018 to 2023.

Rank, number of deaths, percentage of deaths, and age-specific mortality rates for the leading causes of death, by age group and sex, 2000 to most recent year.

Effective September 27, 2023, this dataset will no longer be updated. Similar data are accessible from wonder.cdc.gov. This visualization provides weekly data on the number of deaths by jurisdiction of occurrence and cause of death. Counts of deaths in more recent weeks can be compared with counts from earlier years to determine if the number is higher than expected. Selected causes of death are shown, based on analyses of the most prevalent comorbid conditions reported on death certificates where COVID-19 was listed as a cause of death (see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm#Comorbidities). Cause of death counts are based on the underlying cause of death, and presented for Respiratory diseases, Circulatory diseases, Malignant neoplasms, and Alzheimer disease and dementia. Estimated numbers of deaths due to these other causes of death could represent misclassified COVID-19 deaths, or potentially could be indirectly related to COVID-19 (e.g., deaths from other causes occurring in the context of health care shortages or overburdened health care systems). Deaths with an underlying cause of death of COVID-19 are not included in these estimates of deaths due to other causes. Deaths due to external causes (i.e. injuries) or unknown causes are excluded. For more detail, see the Technical Notes.

Death statistics (i) Number of Deaths for Different Sexes and Crude Death Rate for the Period from 1981 to 2023 (ii) Age-standardised Death Rate (Overall and by Sex) for the Period from 1981 to 2023 (iii) Age-specific Death Rate for Year 2013 and 2023 (iv) Death Rates by Leading Causes of Death for the Period from 2001 to 2023 (v) Number of Deaths by Leading Causes of Death for the Period from 2001 to 2023 (vi) Age-standardised Death Rates by Leading Causes of Death for the Period from 2001 to 2023 (vii) Late Foetal Mortality Rate for the Period from 1981 to 2023 (viii) Perinatal Mortality Rate for the Period from 1981 to 2023 (ix) Neonatal Mortality Rate for the Period from 1981 to 2023 (x) Infant Mortality Rate for the Period from 1981 to 2023 (xi) Number of Maternal Deaths for the Period from 1981 to 2023 (xii) Maternal Mortality Ratio for the Period from 1981 to 2023

This dataset contains counts of deaths for California as a whole based on information entered on death certificates. Final counts are derived from static data and include out-of-state deaths to California residents, whereas provisional counts are derived from incomplete and dynamic data. Provisional counts are based on the records available when the data was retrieved and may not represent all deaths that occurred during the time period. Deaths involving injuries from external or environmental forces, such as accidents, homicide and suicide, often require additional investigation that tends to delay certification of the cause and manner of death. This can result in significant under-reporting of these deaths in provisional data.

The final data tables include both deaths that occurred in California regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence) and deaths to California residents (by residence), whereas the provisional data table only includes deaths that occurred in California regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence). The data are reported as totals, as well as stratified by age, gender, race-ethnicity, and death place type. Deaths due to all causes (ALL) and selected underlying cause of death categories are provided. See temporal coverage for more information on which combinations are available for which years.

The cause of death categories are based solely on the underlying cause of death as coded by the International Classification of Diseases. The underlying cause of death is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury." It is a single value assigned to each death based on the details as entered on the death certificate. When more than one cause is listed, the order in which they are listed can affect which cause is coded as the underlying cause. This means that similar events could be coded with different underlying causes of death depending on variations in how they were entered. Consequently, while underlying cause of death provides a convenient comparison between cause of death categories, it may not capture the full impact of each cause of death as it does not always take into account all conditions contributing to the death.

This dataset contains counts of deaths for California counties based on information entered on death certificates. Final counts are derived from static data and include out-of-state deaths to California residents, whereas provisional counts are derived from incomplete and dynamic data. Provisional counts are based on the records available when the data was retrieved and may not represent all deaths that occurred during the time period. Deaths involving injuries from external or environmental forces, such as accidents, homicide and suicide, often require additional investigation that tends to delay certification of the cause and manner of death. This can result in significant under-reporting of these deaths in provisional data.

The final data tables include both deaths that occurred in each California county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence) and deaths to residents of each California county (by residence), whereas the provisional data table only includes deaths that occurred in each county regardless of the place of residence (by occurrence). The data are reported as totals, as well as stratified by age, gender, race-ethnicity, and death place type. Deaths due to all causes (ALL) and selected underlying cause of death categories are provided. See temporal coverage for more information on which combinations are available for which years.

The cause of death categories are based solely on the underlying cause of death as coded by the International Classification of Diseases. The underlying cause of death is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury." It is a single value assigned to each death based on the details as entered on the death certificate. When more than one cause is listed, the order in which they are listed can affect which cause is coded as the underlying cause. This means that similar events could be coded with different underlying causes of death depending on variations in how they were entered. Consequently, while underlying cause of death provides a convenient comparison between cause of death categories, it may not capture the full impact of each cause of death as it does not always take into account all conditions contributing to the death.

The leading causes of death by sex and ethnicity in New York City in since 2007. Cause of death is derived from the NYC death certificate which is issued for every death that occurs in New York City.

Report last ran: 09/24/2019
Rates based on small numbers (RSE > 30) as well as aggregate counts less than 5 have been suppressed in downloaded data

Source: Bureau of Vital Statistics and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

In 2023, there were approximately 750.5 deaths by all causes per 100,000 inhabitants in the United States. This statistic shows the death rate for all causes in the United States between 1950 and 2023. Causes of death in the U.S. Over the past decades, chronic conditions and non-communicable diseases have come to the forefront of health concerns and have contributed to major causes of death all over the globe. In 2022, the leading cause of death in the U.S. was heart disease, followed by cancer. However, the death rates for both heart disease and cancer have decreased in the U.S. over the past two decades. On the other hand, the number of deaths due to Alzheimer’s disease – which is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease- has increased by almost 141 percent between 2000 and 2021. Risk and lifestyle factors Lifestyle factors play a major role in cardiovascular health and the development of various diseases and conditions. Modifiable lifestyle factors that are known to reduce risk of both cancer and cardiovascular disease among people of all ages include smoking cessation, maintaining a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. An estimated two million new cases of cancer in the U.S. are expected in 2025.

In 2023, heart disease and cancer accounted for the highest share of deaths in the United States. That year, there were 680,981 deaths from heart disease and 613,352 due to cancer.

Excess Death excl COVID: Predicted: Total Estimate: Hawaii data was reported at 1,382.000 Number in 16 Sep 2023. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1,382.000 Number for 09 Sep 2023. Excess Death excl COVID: Predicted: Total Estimate: Hawaii data is updated weekly, averaging 1,382.000 Number from Jan 2017 (Median) to 16 Sep 2023, with 350 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,382.000 Number in 16 Sep 2023 and a record low of 1,382.000 Number in 16 Sep 2023. Excess Death excl COVID: Predicted: Total Estimate: Hawaii data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G012: Number of Excess Deaths: by States: All Causes excluding COVID-19: Predicted (Discontinued).

This table contains the number of deaths in the population of the Netherlands by underlying cause of death. The causes of death are shown according to the extensive list of 'three digit codes', by age and sex.

Since 2013 Statistics Netherlands is using Iris software for automatic coding for cause of death. This improved the international comparison of the data. The change in coding did cause a considerable shift in the statistic. Since 2013 the (yearly) ICD-10 updates are applied.

Data available from: 1996

Status of the figures: The figures up untill 2023 are final, the figures of 2024 are provisional.

Changes as of July 3rd 2025: The provisional figures for 2024 have been added.

Changes as of February 14th 2025: For 2023 one death by 'Acute poliomyelitis (A80)' is moved to 'Sequelae of poliomyelitis (B91)'.

When will new figures be published? The aim is to publish the final figures of 2024 in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Cause of death, by non-communicable diseases (% of total) in United States was reported at 88.14 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Cause of death, by non-communicable diseases (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Cause of death, by injury (% of total) in Uganda was reported at 12.76 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Uganda - Cause of death, by injury (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2023, the leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 39 years in South Korea was suicide, which accounted for more than half of all deaths among people in their twenties. The leading cause of death among people over 40 was cancer.

Cause of death, by non-communicable diseases (% of total) in Canada was reported at 89.81 % in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Canada - Cause of death, by non-communicable diseases (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

This table contains the number of deaths in the population of the Netherlands by underlying cause of death (short list), sex and age-group (at time of death).

Since 2013 Statistics Netherlands is using Iris software for automatic coding for cause of death. This improved the international comparison of the data. The change in coding did cause a considerable shift in the statistic. Since 2013 the (yearly) ICD-10 updates are applied.

Data available from: 1950

Status of the figures: The figures up until 2023 are final, the figures of 2024 are provisional.

Changes as of July 3rd 2025: The provisional figures for 2024 have been added.

When will new figures be published? The aim is to publish the final figures of 2024 in the fourth quarter of 2025.