TAMPA, Fla. (The Hill) – As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday, the U.S. reached an all-time low in death rates in 2025.
The Vital Statistics Rapid Release report highlighted that in 2025, the mortality rate was 689.2 per 100,000 individuals. This marked a 4.6 percent decrease from 2024, establishing the lowest death rate recorded in the nation’s history.
Heart disease and cancer topped the list as the most significant contributors to mortality in the U.S., followed by unintentional injuries, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.
While the leading seven causes of death remained unchanged from 2024, the subsequent rankings shifted. In 2024, causes such as Nephritis, chronic liver disease, and suicide were prominent. By contrast, in 2025, influenza and pneumonia, along with kidney disease, surpassed these, although chronic liver disease continued to be a leading cause.
Statistics showed that death rates were particularly high among males, the elderly, and Black communities.
“The death rate decreased from 2024 to 2025 for all demographic groups except American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Asian people. Although the death rate decreased for people age 85 and older during this period, rates for this group remained higher than those for all other age groups,” the report stated.
“Death rates also decreased for several race and ethnicity groups; however, rates for Black people remain higher than those for all other groups.”
The data used for this report was derived from the National Vital Statistics System and accounted for 99 percent of deaths that occurred in 2025.
The report identified four limitations to the findings: The data is provisional, the timeliness of death certificate submissions varies by jurisdiction, race categories may have been misclassified and the methodology of population estimates varied between 2024 and 2025.
“Despite these limitations, this report provides an overview of provisional mortality in the United States during 2025,” reads the report. “Provisional death estimates can give researchers and policymakers an early signal about shifts in mortality trends and provide actionable information sooner than final mortality data. These data can inform public health policies and interventions aimed at reducing mortality.”