What Are the Leading Causes of Death in the U.S.?

Even though new cancer cases in the U.S. are projected to cross the two-million mark for the first time ever in 2024, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Apart from afflictions related to these diseases, Covid-19 claimed the third-highest number of lives in 2021. While there is more recent data, 2021 is currently the latest year with full, final data on mortality in the country.

Other prevalent causes of death in the U.S. include accidents, strokes and respiratory diseases, which were responsible for 64.7, 41.1. and 34.7 deaths per 100,000 of the population, respectively. Alzheimer's disease, which might become more significant in aging societies over the next couple of decades, ranked seventh with 31 deaths per 100,000 population and a share of 3.4 percent in overall deaths registered by the CDC.

In total, around 3.5 million deaths were registered in the United States in 2021, up by 80,000 compared to 2020. This increase in number of deaths comes on the heels of a drop in life expectancy in the country. According to CDC data, life expectancy at birth in 2021 dropped by 0.6 years for women and 0.7 years for men year-over-year.