In the United States in 2021, the death rate was highest among those aged 85 and over, with about 17,190.5 men and 14,914.5 women per 100,000 of the population passing away. For all ages, the death rate was at 1,118.2 per 100,000 of the population for males, and 970.8 per 100,000 of the population for women. The death rate Death rates generally are counted as the number of deaths per 1,000 or 100,000 of the population and include both deaths of natural and unnatural causes. The death rate in the United States had pretty much held steady since 1990 until it started to increase over the last decade, with the highest death rates recorded in recent years. While the birth rate in the United States has been decreasing, it is still currently higher than the death rate. Causes of death There are a myriad number of causes of death in the United States, but the most recent data shows the top three leading causes of death to be heart disease, cancers, and accidents. Heart disease was also the leading cause of death worldwide.

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.

Among men in the United States, those aged 75 years and older have the highest death rate from suicide among all age groups. In 2022, the suicide death rate among men aged 75 years and older was 43.9 per 100,000 population. In comparison, the death rate from suicide among men aged 25 to 44 years was 29.6 per 100,000. Suicide is a significant problem in the United States, with rates increasing over the past decade. Suicide among men In the United States, the suicide rate among men is almost four times higher than that of women. In 2022, the rate of suicide among U.S. men was 23 per 100,000 population, the highest rate recorded over the past 70 years. Firearms account for the vast majority of suicide deaths among men, accounting for around 60 percent of male suicides in 2021. The reasons why U.S. men have higher rates of suicide than women are complex and not fully understood, but may have to do with the more violent means by which men carry out suicide and the stigma around seeking help for mental health issues. Suicide among women Although the suicide rate among women in the U.S. is significantly lower than that of men, the rate of suicide among women has increased over the past couple of decades. Among women, those aged 45 to 64 years have the highest death rates due to suicide, followed by women 25 to 44 years old. Interestingly, the share of women reporting serious thoughts of suicide in the past year is higher than that of men, with around 5.5 percent of U.S. women reporting such thoughts in 2023. Similarly to men, firearms account for most suicide deaths among women, however suffocation and poisoning account for a significant share of suicides among women. In 2021, around 35 percent of suicides among women were carried out by firearms, while suffocation and poisoning each accounted for around 28 percent of suicide deaths.

Abbreviations: APC, Annual Percent Change; AAPC, Average Annual Percent Change.*P<0.05.

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.

Between the beginning of January 2020 and June 14, 2023, of the 1,134,641 deaths caused by COVID-19 in the United States, around 307,169 had occurred among those aged 85 years and older. This statistic shows the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths in the U.S. from January 2020 to June 2023, by age.

BackgroundEliminating socioeconomic disparities in health is an overarching goal of the U.S. Healthy People decennial initiatives. We present recent trends in mortality by education among working-aged populations. Methods and FindingsAge-standardized death rates and their average annual percent change for all-cause and five major causes (cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and accidents) were calculated from 1993 through 2007 for individuals aged 25–64 years by educational attainment as a marker of socioeconomic status, using national vital registration data for 26 states with consistent educational information on the death certificates. Rate ratios and rate differences were used to assess disparities (≤12 versus ≥16 years of education) for 1993 through 2007. From 1993 through 2007, relative educational disparities in all-cause mortality continued to increase among working-aged men and women in the U.S., due to larger decreases of mortality rates among the most educated coupled with smaller decreases or even worsening trends in the less educated. For example, the rate ratios of all-cause mortality increased from 2.5 (95% confidence interval (CI), 2.4–2.6) in 1993 to 3.6 (95% CI, 3.5–3.7) in 2007 in men and from 1.9 (95% CI, 1.8–2.0) to 3.0 (95% CI, 2.9–3.1) in women. Generally, the rate differences (per 100,000 persons) of all-cause mortality increased from 415.5 (95% CI, 399.1–431.9) in 1993 to 472.7 (95% CI, 460.2–485.2) in 2007 in men and from 165.4 (95% CI, 154.5–176.2) to 256.2 (95% CI, 248.3–264.2) in women. Disparity patterns varied largely across the five specific causes considered in this study, with the largest increases of relative disparities for accidents, especially in women. ConclusionsRelative educational differentials in mortality continued to widen among men and women despite emphasis on reducing disparities in the U.S. Healthy People decennial initiatives.

A survey of college students in the United States in 2023-2024 found that around 38 percent had symptoms of depression. Symptoms of depression vary in severity and can include a loss of interest/pleasure in things once found enjoyable, feelings of sadness and hopelessness, fatigue, changes in sleep, and thoughts of death or suicide. Mental health among college students Due to the life changes and stress that often come with attending college, mental health problems are not unusual among college students. The most common mental health problems college students have been diagnosed with are anxiety disorders and depression. Fortunately, these are two of the most treatable forms of mental illness, with psychotherapy and/or medications the most frequent means of treatment. However, barriers to access mental health services persist, with around 22 percent of college students stating that in the past year financial reasons caused them to receive fewer services for their mental or emotional health than they would have otherwise received. Depression in the United States Depression is not only a problem among college students but affects people of all ages. In 2021, around ten percent of those aged 26 to 49 years in the United States reported a major depressive episode in the past year. Depression in the United States is more prevalent among females than males, but suicide is almost four times more common among males than females. Death rates due to suicide in the U.S. have increased for both genders in the past few years, highlighting the issue of depression and other mental health disorders and the need for easy access to mental health services.

Number of deaths and mortality rates, by age group, sex, and place of residence, 1991 to most recent year.

During the 2023-2024 flu season in the United States, an estimated 27,965 people died from influenza. The vast majority of deaths due to influenza occur among the elderly, with those aged 65 years and older accounting for 19,038 deaths during the 2023-2024 flu season. During this time, the mortality rate from influenza among those aged 65 years and older was around 32 per 100,000 population, compared to a mortality rate of two per 100,000 population among those aged 18 to 49 years. Influenza deaths Although most people recover from influenza without the need of medical care, influenza and pneumonia are still major causes of death in the United States. Influenza is a common cause of pneumonia and cases in which influenza develops into pneumonia tend to be more severe and more deadly. However, the impact of influenza varies from year to year depending on which viruses are circulating. For example, during the 2017-2018 flu season around 52,000 people died due to influenza, whereas in 2023-2024 total deaths amounted to 28,000. Preventing death The most effective way to prevent influenza is to receive an annual influenza vaccination. These vaccines have proven to be safe and are usually cheap and easily accessible. Each year, flu vaccinations prevent thousands of influenza cases, hospitalizations and deaths. It was estimated that during the 2022-2023 flu season, vaccinations prevented the deaths of around 2,479 people aged 65 years and older.

The rate of liver cancer diagnoses in the United States increases with age. As of 2022, those aged 80 to 84 years had the highest rates of liver cancer. Risk factors for liver cancer include smoking, drinking alcohol, being overweight or obese, and having diabetes. Who is most likely to get liver cancer? Liver cancer in the United States is much more common among men than women. In 2022, there were 12 new liver cancer diagnoses among men per 100,000 population, compared to just five new diagnoses per 100,000 women. Concerning race and ethnicity, non-Hispanic American Indians and Alaska Natives and Hispanics have the highest rates of new liver cancer diagnoses. The five-year survival rate for liver cancer in the United States is around 22 percent; however, this rate is much higher among non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islanders than other races and ethnicities. Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islanders have a 33 percent chance of surviving the next five years after a liver cancer diagnosis. Deaths from liver cancer In 2023, there were an estimated 29,911 deaths in the United States due to liver cancer. However, the death rate for liver cancer has remained stable over the past few years. In 2023, the death rate for liver cancer was 6.6 deaths per 100,000 population. It is estimated that in 2025, there will be over 19,000 liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer deaths among men in the United States and 10,800 such deaths among women.

The life expectancy for those who survive one year after a spinal cord injury depends greatly on the severity of the injury and the age of the injured. For example, a 20-year-old who survives one year after a spinal cord injury causing paraplegia can expect to live around 40.7 more years. However, if a 20-year-old survives one year after a high tetraplegia spinal cord injury, they are only expected to live about 28.7 more years on average. How many spinal cord injuries are there every year? In the United States, there are over 18,000 spinal cord injuries every year. As of 2024, there were estimated to be around 308,600 people in the United States living with a spinal cord injury. The average age when spinal injuries occur is 44 years, and vehicular accidents are the most common cause of spinal cord injuries in the United States, followed by falls and violence. Between 2015 and 2024, almost 37 percent of spinal cord injuries in the U.S. were caused by vehicular accidents, while eight percent were caused by sports accidents. The cost of spinal cord injuries Spinal cord injuries can not only impact a person’s daily living and life quality but can also have a substantial financial impact. For example, the average expenses for the first year for someone in the U.S. with a spinal cord injury causing paraplegia was 687,262 U.S. dollars as of 2024. After the first year, someone with this type of injury could expect average yearly expenses of over 91,000 U.S. dollars. All in all, the lifetime costs for a 25-year-old patient with a spinal cord injury causing paraplegia are just over three million U.S. dollars. However, a 25-year-old with a high tetraplegia spinal cord injury could expect lifetime costs of over six million U.S. dollars.

Between 1970 and June 16, 2020, 175 school shootings were perpetrated by 17-year-olds. 16-year-olds perpetrated the second highest number of school shootings, with 163 shootings.

For the week ending August 29, 2025, weekly deaths in England and Wales were 985 below the number expected, compared with 855 below what was expected in the previous week. In late 2022 and through early 2023, excess deaths were elevated for a number of weeks, with the excess deaths figure for the week ending January 13, 2023, the highest since February 2021. In the middle of April 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were almost 12,000 excess deaths a week recorded in England and Wales. It was not until two months later, in the week ending June 19, 2020, that the number of deaths began to be lower than the five-year average for the corresponding week. Most deaths since 1918 in 2020 In 2020, there were 689,629 deaths in the United Kingdom, making that year the deadliest since 1918, at the height of the Spanish influenza pandemic. As seen in the excess death figures, April 2020 was by far the worst month in terms of deaths during the pandemic. The weekly number of deaths for weeks 16 and 17 of that year were 22,351, and 21,997 respectively. Although the number of deaths fell to more usual levels for the rest of that year, a winter wave of the disease led to a high number of deaths in January 2021, with 18,676 deaths recorded in the fourth week of that year. For the whole of 2021, there were 667,479 deaths in the UK, 22,150 fewer than in 2020. Life expectancy in the UK goes into reverse In 2022, life expectancy at birth for women in the UK was 82.6 years, while for men it was 78.6 years. This was the lowest life expectancy in the country for ten years, and came after life expectancy improvements stalled throughout the 2010s, and then declined from 2020 onwards. There is also quite a significant regional difference in life expectancy in the UK. In the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea, for example, the life expectancy for men was 81.5 years, and 86.5 years for women. By contrast, in Blackpool, in North West England, male life expectancy was just 73.1 years, while for women, life expectancy was lowest in Glasgow, at 78 years.