The US provisional death rate fell 4.6% in 2025, with heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries remaining the leading causes of mortality, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The age-adjusted death rate decreased to 689.2 deaths per 100,000 people from 722.1 a year earlier, continuing a steady decline since the rate peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Causes of Mortality

The decrease was partly due to a sustained decline in fatal drug overdoses, which are grouped under unintentional injuries or accidents. However, the number of deaths from influenza and pneumonia rose 17% to 56,511 in 2025, making it the eighth leading cause of mortality in the country from 11th a year ago.

The flu season, especially in January and February of 2025, was severe, leading to a lot of flu deaths. 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% increase in heart disease deaths in 2025.

Death Rates Among Different Groups

The death rate among American Indian and Alaska Native people rose to 803.8 per 100,000 people, and increased to 746 for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander people. At 869 per 100,000 people, the mortality rate for Black Americans improved slightly but it remained the highest of all groups.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.