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Major causes of death in the U.S.: 1900 and 2017
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Major causes of death in the U.S.: 1900 and 2017
Top 10 causes of death in the U.S. in 1900 and 2017 (per 100,000 population)
by John Elflein,
last edited
Sep 17, 2019
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 U.S. 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, although pneumonia and influenza were still the eighth leading cause of death in 2017, the rate of death was only 14 per 100,000 population.Cancer
One disease that has seen a large increase in death rates since 1900 is cancer. Cancer currently accounts for around 21 percent of all deaths in the United States, with death rates among males higher than those for females. The deadliest form of cancer for both genders 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.Top 10 causes of death in the U.S. in 1900 and 2017 (per 100,000 population)
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by John Elflein,
last edited
Sep 17, 2019
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 U.S. 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, although pneumonia and influenza were still the eighth leading cause of death in 2017, the rate of death was only 14 per 100,000 population.Cancer
One disease that has seen a large increase in death rates since 1900 is cancer. Cancer currently accounts for around 21 percent of all deaths in the United States, with death rates among males higher than those for females. The deadliest form of cancer for both genders 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.- Show sources information
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- November 2018
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1900 and 2017
- Supplementary notes
- * Figures for 1900 were taken from a separate source and can be found here.
Source
- Show sources information
- Show publisher information
- Release date
- November 2018
More information
- Region
- United States
- Survey time period
- 1900 and 2017
- Supplementary notes
- * Figures for 1900 were taken from a separate source and can be found here.
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- Number of new cases of measles (rubeola) in the U.S. from 1950 to 2019New cases of measles in the U.S. 1950-2019
- Number of new cases of syphilis in the U.S. from 1950 to 2016*New cases of syphilis in the U.S. 1950-2016
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Statistics on "Diseases"
- Leading causes of death worldwide in 2016 (in millions)
- Leading 10 causes of death in low-income countries worldwide in 2016 (in deaths per 100,000 population)
- Leading 10 causes of death in upper income countries in 2016 (in deaths per 100,000 population)
- Number of deaths caused by selected chronic diseases worldwide as of 2016 (in 1,000)
- Number of deaths caused by selected communicable diseases annually worldwide as of 2016 (in 1,000)
- Leading 20 countries based on probability of mortality due to non-communicable diseases between ages 30 to 70 in 2016
- Top 10 causes of death in the U.S. in 1900 and 2017 (per 100,000 population)
- Distribution of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States in 2017
- Percentage changes in selected causes of death in the U.S. between 2000 and 2017, by disease
- Parkinson's disease death rate in the U.S. from 1999 to 2017 (per 100,000 population)
- Number of cancer deaths worldwide in 2018, by major type of cancer
- Deaths by cancer in the U.S. from 1950 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)*
- Number of U.S. Americans with a history of cancer living between 2004 and 2019 (in millions)
- Availability of new cancer drugs launched in 2013-2017 in selected countries as of 2018
- Deaths from ischemic heart disease in OECD countries in 2015 (per 100,000 population)
- Heart disease risk in the U.S. between 2000 and 2016, by age*
- Deaths by heart diseases in the U.S. from 1950 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
- Estimated number of diabetics worldwide in 2017 and 2045 (in millions)
- Number of U.S. Americans with diagnosed diabetes from 1980 to 2015 (in millions)*
- Deaths by diabetes mellitus in the U.S. from 1950 to 2016 (per 100,000 population)
- Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who ever had diabetes as of 2017*
- Projected numbers of older people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. from 2010 to 2050 (in millions)*
- Projected number of people aged 65 and over with Alzheimer's disease in the U.S. in 2019 and 2025, by state (in thousands)
- Distribution of Alzheimer's disease patients in the United States as of 2019, by age group
- Leading 20 countries based on number of people needing interventions against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in 2016
- Number of countries affected worldwide from select neglected tropical diseases as of 2019
- Number of people affected worldwide each year from select neglected tropical diseases as of 2019 (in millions)
- Number of cases of Guinea worm disease worldwide from 1986 to 2018
- Number of reported and expected cases of human African trypanosomiasis worldwide from 2008 to 2020
- Number of new cases of hepatitis A and B in the U.S. from 1970 to 2016
- Number of new cases of Lyme disease in the U.S. from 1991 to 2016*
- Number of new cases of meningococcal disease in the U.S. from 1970 to 2016
- Number of new cases of measles (rubeola) in the U.S. from 1950 to 2019
- Number of new cases of syphilis in the U.S. from 1950 to 2016*
- Number of new cases of tuberculosis in the U.S. from 1960 to 2016*
- Number of malaria cases in the U.S. from 2001 to 2016
- Donated funds for research and development by disease in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)*
- Distribution of total global funding on research and development for selected diseases from 2013 to 2017
- Top countries in public funding for research and development on neglected diseases in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Percentage of top countries in public funding for research and development on neglected diseases in 2017*
- Top philanthropic funders for research and development on neglected diseases worldwide in 2017 (in million U.S. dollars)
- Major causes of death in public hospitals in Malaysia in 2017*
- Percentage of persons who had excellent or very good health in the United States from 1997 to 2018
- Number of individuals with measles in Spain in 2016, by age group (per 1,000 inhabitants)
- Share of adults diagnosed with ophthalmic conditions in Spain in 2018, by gender and age
- Percentage of Canadians who perceived their health as fair or poor from 2003 to 2018
- Quality of health in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2016, by region
- Share of individuals with good or very good general health in Northern Ireland in 2017/18, by region
- Share of individuals with good or very good self reported health status in Ireland from 2015 to 2018
- Child obesity levels measuring using body mass index assessed against growth curve in Northern Ireland in 2017/2017, by gender
- Share of adults diagnosed with metabolic conditions in Spain in 2018, by age group
- Share of general health status of individuals in Northern Ireland in 2017/2018, by gender
- Share of general health status of individuals in Northern Ireland from 2010 to 2018, by gender
- How would you evaluate your overall state of physical health?
- Share of individuals with at least one in-patient hospital admission in the last 12 months in Ireland in 2017, by age group
- Share of adults diagnosed with neurological conditions in Spain in 2018, by age group
- Number of Canadians who perceived their health as fair or poor from 2003 to 2018
- How would you evaluate your overall state of mental health?
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