Search results
In 2021, 9 of the 10 leading causes of death remained the same as in 2020. The top leading cause in 2021 was heart disease, followed by cancer and COVID-19 (Figure 4).
- www.nih.gov
- › News & Events
- › News Releases
Jul 5, 2022 · COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in the United States between March 2020 and October 2021, according to an analysis of national death certificate data by researchers at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Oct 4, 2023 · The disease, condition, or injury estimated to cause the most deaths in each country annually.
COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in 2020, with an estimated 345 323 deaths, and was largely responsible for the substantial increase in total deaths from 2019 to 2020. Substantial increases from 2019 to 2020 also occurred for several other leading causes.
On this page, you will find global data and research on leading causes of death and how they can be prevented. This includes the number of people dying from each cause, their death rates, how they differ between age groups, and their trends over time.
Heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19 remained the top 3 leading causes. The infant mortality rate was 543.6 infant deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. The change in infant mortality from 2020 was not statistically significant. Suggested citation: Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Kochanek KD, Arias E. Mortality in the United States, 2021.
