The National Safety Council reports that Americans are more likely to die from an opioid overdose than a car crash or suicide. The likelihood of dying from an accidental opioid overdose in the U.S. stood at one in 84 in 2024. The same year, someone living in the U.S. only had one in 88 odds of dying of suicide and a one in 101 chance of dying in a car crash.
Potent and deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl - which is often mixed with heroin without the knowledge of drug users - contributed to this dismal development together with the ongoing crisis of prescription pain killer misuse. The U.S. experienced around 70,000 overdose deaths in 2025 and around 81,000 in 2024, down from highs of above 100,000 previously.
The most likely cause of death in the U.S. continues to be heart disease with lifetime odds of 1 in 6, followed by cancer and stroke. Covid-19 lifetime odds were similar to those of stroke in previous years, but are no longer reported by the source.
Despite being a common fear, the chances of dying due to gun assault stand at only one in 280, but are still greater than drowning or choking to death, which have odds of around one in 1,000 and one in 2,400, respectively. Dying in a dog attack remains highly unlikely with the chances of that happening at one in 33,900. Dying in a hurricane or tornado or any other storm event is actually more likely at one in 14,100.
