US Death Rate Drops to Record Low

The U.S. death rate hit a record low in 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on July 2.

The age-adjusted death rate for 2025 was 689.2 per 100,000—a decline of 4.6 percent from 2024, and the lowest ever rate, according to a CDC report.

The CDC comes up with the rate of deaths for the American population based on death records received and processed by its National Center for Health Statistics, and population data from the U.S. Census.

Rates fell across all age groups and for both males and females. Rates fell for all demographics, with the exception of American Indian and Alaska Natives, pacific islanders, and Asians.

Overall deaths did tick up slightly to 3.09 million in 2025, from 3.07 million in 2024.

The death rate decrease was partly due to a sustained decline in fatal drug overdoses, which are grouped under unintentional injuries or accidents, according to Farida Ahmad, the report’s lead author.

On the other hand, the number of deaths from influenza and pneumonia rose to 56,511, a 17 percent jump that sent that category into the top 10 leading causes of death.

“The flu season, especially in January and February of 2025, was severe, leading to a lot of flu deaths,” Ahmad said.

Severe flu seasons in the past had been linked to rising deaths from chronic diseases, and may also have been a factor in the roughly 1.6 percent increase in heart disease deaths in 2025, Ahmad added.

Influenza-related hospitalizations and outpatient visits reached a 15-year high during the virus season that started in late 2024 and ran through early 2025, the CDC has said.

The CDC had reported in January that U.S. life expectancy reached a record high in 2024.

Leading Causes of Death

Here are the 10 leading causes of death in 2025:

• Heart disease: 694,708

• Cancer: 622,832

• Unintentional injuries: 184,265

• Stroke: 171,427

• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 148,408

• Alzheimer disease: 116,794

• Diabetes: 95,229

• Influenza and pneumonia: 56,511

• Kidney disease: 55,378

• Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: 51,941

The only change from 2024 was suicide being replaced by influenza and pneumonia.

Deaths by Age, Sex, and Race

Here are the deaths by age:

• Younger than 1: 19,270

• 1-4: 3,525

• 5-14: 5,658

• 15-24: 27,750

• 25-34: 51,738

• 35-44: 92,643

• 45-54: 152,789

• 55-64: 347,568

• 65-74: 639,457

• 75-84: 853,780

• 85 and older: 900,375

• Unknown: 40

Here are the deaths by sex:

• Female: 1.48 million

• Male: 1.6 million

Here are the deaths by race and ethnicity:

• American Indian and Alaska Native: 20,918

• Asian: 90,681

• Black: 382,579

• Hispanic: 264,758

• More than one race: 17,082

• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 4,625

• White: 2.3 million

• Unknown: 12,728

Numbers Could Change

While data for 2024 has been finalized, the 2025 data is provisional and could change, the CDC said.

The preliminary data “should be interpreted with caution and may change with final mortality or population estimates, or both,” the report authors said.

Reuters contributed to this report.