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.

Heart disease is currently the leading cause of death in the United States. In 2022, COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for almost six percent of all deaths that year. The leading causes of death worldwide are similar to those in the United States. However, diarrheal diseases and neonatal conditions are major causes of death worldwide, but are not among the leading causes in the United States. Instead, accidents and chronic liver disease have a larger impact in the United States.

Racial differences

In the United States, there exist slight differences in leading causes of death depending on race and ethnicity. For example, assault, or homicide, accounts for around three percent of all deaths among the Black population but is not even among the leading causes of death for other races and ethnicities. However, heart disease and cancer are still the leading causes of death for all races and ethnicities.

Leading causes of death among men vs women

Similarly, there are also differences in the leading causes of death in the U.S. between men and women. For example, among men, intentional self-harm accounts for around two percent of all deaths but is not among the leading causes of death among women. On the other hand, influenza and pneumonia account for more deaths among women than men.

In 2019, the leading causes of death worldwide were ischemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). That year, ischemic heart disease and stroke accounted for a combined 27 percent of all deaths worldwide. Although the leading causes of death worldwide vary by region and country, heart disease is a consistent leading cause of death regardless of income, development, size, or location.

Heart disease In 2019, around 8.89 million people worldwide died from ischemic heart disease. In comparison, around 1.78 million people died from lung cancer that year, while 1.5 million died from diabetes. The countries with the highest rates of death due to heart attack and other ischemic heart diseases are Lithuania, Russia, and Hungary. Although some risk factors for heart disease, such as age and genetics, are unmodifiable, the likelihood of developing heart disease can be greatly reduced through a healthy lifestyle. The biggest modifiable risk factors for heart disease include smoking, an unhealthy diet, being overweight, and a lack of exercise. In 2019, it was estimated that around two million deaths worldwide due to ischemic heart disease could be attributed to smoking.

The leading causes of death in the United States Just as it is the leading cause of death worldwide, heart disease is also the leading cause of death in the United States. In 2020, heart disease accounted for almost 21 percent of all deaths in the United States. Cancer was the second leading cause of death in the U.S. that year, followed by COVID-19. As of 2020, the odds that a person in the United States will die from heart disease is 1 in 6. However, rates of death due to heart disease have actually declined in the U.S. over the past couple decades. From 2000 to 2019, there was a 7.3 percent decline in heart disease deaths. On the other hand, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease saw an increase of 145 percent over this period. Alzheimer’s disease is currently the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 32.4 deaths per 100,000 population in 2020.

In 2019, the leading causes of death globally included ischemic heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There were 8.89 million deaths from ischemic heart disease at that time and about 6.19 million deaths caused by stroke. In recent history, increases in life expectancy, increases in population and better standards of living have changed the leading causes of death over time.

Non-Communicable Disease Deaths

The number of deaths due to non-communicable diseases has remained relatively stable in recent years. A large majority of non-communicable or chronic disease deaths globally were caused by cardiovascular diseases, followed by cancer. Various lifestyle choices cause or exacerbate many of these chronic diseases. Drinking, smoking and lack of exercise can contribute to higher rates of non-communicable diseases and early death. A 2018 report indicated that the relative risk of death before the age of 65 was 24 times greater among those that smoked and never quit.

Infectious Disease Deaths

Trends indicate that the number of deaths due to infectious diseases have decreased in recent years. However, infectious diseases still disproportionately impact low- and middle-income countries. In 2016, tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS were still among the leading causes of death in low-income countries. However, the leading causes of death in upper income countries are almost exclusively non-communicable, chronic conditions.

In 2021, the leading causes of death worldwide were ischemic heart disease, COVID-19, and stroke. That year, ischemic heart disease caused over nine million deaths, while COVID-19 resulted in 8.7 million deaths. In 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the leading causes of death worldwide were ischemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The most common cause of death in Russia in 2023 was diseases of the circulatory system, with approximately 557 deaths per 100 thousand of the country's population. Furthermore, 197 deaths per 100 thousand population occurred due to neoplasms, which were the second leading cause of mortality in the country. The third most common cause was diseases of the nervous system, accounting for nearly 74 deaths per 100 thousand residents. Are there more births or deaths in Russia per year? In recent years, the annual number of deaths was higher than the count of births in Russia. The natural decrease in the population, calculated as the difference between deaths and births, was around one million in 2021. The number of deaths per one thousand population, also known as the mortality rate, increased from 16.7 in 2021 to 12.9 in 2022. How long do Russians live on average? Russian residents born in 2022 were expected to live an average of 73 years. The country had one of the largest gender gaps in life expectancy in OECD, according to the World Bank's World Development Indicators in 2021. Women were expected to live for approximately 10 years longer than men.

In the United States, the leading causes of death among women are heart disease and cancer. Heart disease and cancer are similarly the leading causes of death among U.S. men. In 2022, heart disease accounted for 20.3 percent of all deaths among women in the United States, while cancer accounted for 18.5 percent of deaths. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death among both men and women in 2020 and 2021, and the fourth leading cause in 2022. Cancer among women in the U.S. The most common types of cancer among U.S. women are breast, lung and bronchus, and colon and rectum. In 2024, there were around 310,720 new breast cancer cases among women, compared to 118,270 new cases of lung and bronchus cancer. Although breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the United States, lung and bronchus cancer causes the highest number of cancer deaths. In 2024, around 59,280 women were expected to die from lung and bronchus cancer, compared to 42,250 from breast cancer. Breast cancer Although breast cancer is the second most deadly form of cancer among women, rates of death have decreased over the past few decades. This decrease is possibly due to early detection, progress in therapy, and increasing awareness of risk factors. In 2022, the death rate due to breast cancer was 18.7 per 100,000 population, compared to a rate of 33.3 per 100,000 in the year 1990. The state with the highest rate of deaths due to breast cancer is Delaware, while Massachusetts had the lowest rates. Massachusetts is also one of the states with the highest share of women receiving a breast cancer screening in the last two years.

As of 2022, the third leading cause of death among teenagers aged 15 to 19 years in the United States was intentional self-harm or suicide, contributing around 17 percent of deaths among age group. The leading cause of death at that time was unintentional injuries, contributing to around 37.4 percent of deaths, while 21.8 percent of all deaths in this age group were due to assault or homicide. Cancer and heart disease, the overall leading causes of death in the United States, are also among the leading causes of death among U.S. teenagers. Adolescent suicide in the United States In 2021, around 22 percent of students in grades 9 to 12 reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Female students were around twice as likely to report seriously considering suicide compared to male students. In 2022, Montana had the highest rate of suicides among U.S. teenagers with around 39 deaths per 100,000 teenagers, followed by South Dakota with a rate of 33 per 100,000. The states with the lowest death rates among adolescents are New York and New Jersey. Mental health treatment Suicidal thoughts are a clear symptom of mental health issues. Mental health issues are not rare among children and adolescents, and treatment for such issues has become increasingly accepted and accessible. In 2021, around 15 percent of boys and girls aged 5 to 17 years had received some form of mental health treatment in the past year. At that time, around 35 percent of youths aged 12 to 17 years in the United States who were receiving specialty mental health services were doing so because they had thought about killing themselves or had already tried to kill themselves.

Heart conditions were the most common causes of death in Mexico in 2023. During that period, more than 189,000 people died in the North American country as a result from said conditions. Diabetes mellitus ranked second, with over 110,000 deaths registered that year. Obesity in MexicoObesity and being overweight can worsen many risk factors for developing heart conditions, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes, which in the case of a COVID-19 infection can lead to a severe course of the disease. In 2020, Mexico was reported as having one of the largest overweight and/or obese population in Latin America, with 66 percent of people in the country having a body mass index higher than 25. In 2022, obesity was announced as being one of the most common illnesses experienced in Mexico, with over 821,000 cases estimated. In a decade from now, it is predicted that about 6.6 million children in Mexico will suffer from obesity. If estimations are correct, this North American country will belong to the world’s top 10 countries with the most obese children in 2030. Physical activity in MexicoIt is not only a matter of food intake. A 2023 survey found, for instance, that only 39.8 percent of Mexican population practiced sports and physical activities in their free time, a figure that has decreased in comparison to 2013. Less than 15 percent of the physically active Mexicans practice sports for fun. However, the vast majority were motivated by health reasons.

In 2022, the leading causes of death for children aged one to four years in the United States were unintentional injuries and congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities. At that time, around 31 percent of all deaths among these children were caused by unintentional injuries. Differences in causes of death among children by age Just as unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children aged one to four, it is also the leading cause of death for the age groups five to nine and 10 to 14. However, congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities account for fewer deaths as children become older, while the share of deaths caused by cancer is higher among those aged five to nine and 10 to 14. In fact, cancer is the second leading cause of death among five to nine-year-olds, accounting for around 15 percent of all deaths. Sadly, the second leading cause of death among children aged 10 to 14 is intentional self-harm, with 13 percent of all deaths among those in this age group caused by suicide. Leading causes of death in the United States The leading causes of death in the United States are heart disease and malignant neoplasms. Together, these two diseases accounted for around 40 percent of all deaths in the United States in 2022. That year, COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death, with about six percent of all deaths caused by COVID-19. In 2022, the lifetime odds that the average person in the United States would die from heart disease was one in six, while the odds for cancer were one in seven and for COVID-19 one in 23.

In 2023, the leading causes of death in Canada were malignant neoplasms (cancer) and diseases of the heart. Together, these diseases accounted for around 44 percent of all deaths in Canada that year. COVID-19 was the sixth leading cause of death in Canada in 2023 with 2.4 percent of deaths. The leading causes of death in Canada In 2023, around 84,629 people in Canada died from cancer, making it by far the leading cause of death in the country. In comparison, an estimated 57,890 people died from diseases of the heart, while 20,597 died from accidents. In 2023, the death rate for diabetes mellitus was 18.1 per 100,000 population, making it the seventh leading cause of death. Diabetes is a growing problem in Canada, with around eight percent of the population diagnosed with the disease as of 2023. What is the deadliest form of cancer in Canada? In Canada, lung and bronchus cancer account for the largest share of cancer deaths, followed by colorectal cancer. In 2023, the death rate for lung and bronchus cancer was 41.8 per 100,000 population, compared to 19.6 deaths per 100,000 population for colorectal cancer. However, although lung and bronchus cancer are the deadliest cancers for both men and women in Canada, breast cancer is the second-deadliest cancer among women, accounting for 13.4 percent of all cancer deaths. Colorectal cancer is the second most deadly cancer among men in Canada followed by prostate cancer. In 2023, colorectal cancer accounted for around 11.2 percent of all cancer deaths among men in Canada, while prostate cancer was responsible for 10.5 percent of such deaths.

In 2022, the most significant cause of death among men in the United States was heart disease, which contributed to 22.5 percent of deaths. COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death among U.S. men in both 2020 and 2021, and the fourth leading cause in 2022. This statistic shows the distribution of the 10 leading causes of death among men in the United States from 2020 to 2022.

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.

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.

The leading causes of death in the United States have changed significantly from the year 1900 to the present. Leading causes of death in 1900, such as tuberculosis, gastrointestinal infections, and diphtheria have seen huge decreases in death rates and are no longer among the leading causes of death in the United States. However, other diseases such as heart disease and cancer have seen increased death rates. Vaccinations One major factor contributing to the decrease in death rates for many diseases since the year 1900 is the introduction of vaccinations. The decrease seen in the rates of death due to pneumonia and influenza is a prime example of this. In 1900, pneumonia and influenza were the leading causes of death, with around 202 deaths per 100,000 population. However, in 2023 pneumonia and influenza were not even among the ten leading causes of death. Cancer One disease that has seen a large increase in death rates since 1900 is cancer. Cancer currently accounts for almost 20 percent of all deaths in the United States, with death rates among men higher than those for women. The deadliest form of cancer for both men and women is cancer of the lung and bronchus. Some of the most common avoidable risk factors for cancer include smoking, drinking alcohol, sun exposure, and obesity.

This statistic shows the percentage changes in selected causes of death due to diseases in the United States, between 2000 and 2021. The number of deaths caused by prostate cancer increased by 4.8 percent during this period.

Changes in selected causes of death

There has been a decrease in the rate of death caused by many diseases, including stroked and heart disease. However, the mortality rate due to Alzheimer’s disease increased by 141 percent from 2000 to 2021. Alzheimer’s disease caused 31 deaths per 100,000 population in 2021 and is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. It was estimated that approximately 719.7 thousand people aged 65 and older in California had Alzheimer’s disease in 2020. Mortality rates due to different diseases vary by different factors, including race and ethnicity. Cancer, the leading cause of death among Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States, accounted for 20 percent of total deaths among this population, while heart disease was the leading cause of death among the white population.

Globally, ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death, accounting for some 16 percent of all deaths. In the early 1900's, the mortality rate was primarily concentrated among people of younger ages, but increasingly, this has shifted to older population groups. In recent years, decreased mortality rates are often linked to improved medical care, such as new developments in medical technologies. Shifts in lifestyle habits such as decreased smoking rates and healthier diets may also attribute to lower mortality rates.

The leading causes of death in the United States are by far cardiovascular diseases and cancer. However, the death rates from these diseases, as well as other leading causes of death, have decreased over the past few decades. The one major exception are deaths caused by Alzheimer’s disease, which have increased significantly. Cardiovascular disease deaths Although cardiovascular diseases are currently the leading cause of death in the United States, the death rate of these diseases has dropped significantly. In the year 1950, there were around 589 deaths per 100,000 population due to cardiovascular diseases. In the year 2022, this number was 167.2 per 100,000 population. Risk factors for heart disease include smoking, poor diet, diabetes, obesity, stress, family history, and age. Alzheimer’s disease deaths While the death rates for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lower respiratory diseases have all decreased, the death rate for Alzheimer’s disease has increased. In fact, from the year 2000 to 2021, the death rate from Alzheimer’s disease rose an astonishing 141 percent. This increase is in part due to a growing aging population.

The leading cause of death in low-income countries worldwide in 2021 was lower respiratory infections, followed by stroke and ischemic heart disease. The death rate from lower respiratory infections that year was 59.4 deaths per 100,000 people. While the death rate from stroke was around 51.6 per 100,000 people. Many low-income countries suffer from health issues not seen in high-income countries, including infectious diseases, malnutrition and neonatal deaths, to name a few. Low-income countries worldwide Low-income countries are defined as those with per gross national incomes (GNI) per capita of 1,045 U.S. dollars or less. A majority of the world’s low-income countries are located in sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia. Some of the lowest-income countries as of 2023 include Burundi, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan. Low-income countries have different health problems that lead to worse health outcomes. For example, Chad, Lesotho, and Nigeria have some of the lowest life expectancies on the planet. Health issues in low-income countries Low-income countries also tend to have higher rates of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases as a consequence of poor health infrastructure and a lack of qualified health workers. Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa have some of the highest rates of new HIV infections worldwide. Likewise, tuberculosis, a treatable condition that affects the respiratory system, has high incident rates in lower income countries. Other health issues can be affected by the income of a country as well, including maternal and infant mortality. In 2023, Afghanistan had one of the highest rates of infant mortality rates in the world.

The leading causes of death among Black residents in the United States in 2022 included diseases of the heart, cancer, unintentional injuries, and stroke. The leading causes of death for African Americans generally reflects the leading causes of death for the entire United States population. However, a major exception is that death from assault or homicide is the seventh leading cause of death among African Americans, but is not among the ten leading causes for the general population. Homicide among African Americans The homicide rate among African Americans has been higher than that of other races and ethnicities for many years. In 2023, around 9,284 Black people were murdered in the United States, compared to 7,289 white people. A majority of these homicides are committed with firearms, which are easily accessible in the United States. In 2022, around 14,189 Black people died by firearms. However, suicide deaths account for over half of all deaths from firearms in the United States. Cancer disparities There are also major disparities in access to health care and the impact of various diseases. For example, the incidence rate of cancer among African American males is the greatest among all ethnicities and races. Furthermore, although the incidence rate of cancer is lower among African American women than it is among white women, cancer death rates are still higher among African American women.

In the U.S., the top five causes of death amongst 25-29-year-old millennials in 2017 were accidents, suicides, homicides, malignant neoplasms, and diseases of the heart. The most common causes was accidents, accounting for 45 percent of total deaths that year. This statistic shows the leading causes of death, as a percentage of total deaths, for 25 to 29-year-old millennials in the U.S. in 2017.