Heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries ranked among the 10 leading causes of death for every age group in 2024, and unintentional injuries were the top cause of death for people ages 1 to 44, according to a CDC report.
The National Vital Statistics Report “Deaths: Leading Causes for 2024” used all death certificates filed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2024. Causes of death were ranked according to the number of deaths and were based on the underlying cause of death. The report was published Sept. 22.
The report found that
1. The 10 leading causes of death in 2024, in order, were heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease and suicide. These accounted for 70.9% of all deaths in the U.S.
2. Suicide moved up to the 10th leading cause of death in 2024, from 11th in 2023..
3. Notably, COVID-19 deaths dropped by 37% in older adults from 2023 to 2024. Drops in COVID-19 deaths also contributed to shifts in the rankings of other causes of death across all age groups.
Here are the top causes of death for six age groups:
Ages 1-9
- Unintentional injuries: 30.9%
- Cancer: 10.6%
- Congenital malformations: 9.8%
- Homicide: 6.5%
- Heart disease: 3.4%
- Influenza and pneumonia: 3.3%
- Stroke: 1.7%
- Septicemia: 1.5%
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 1.4%
- Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period: 1.1%
Ages 10-24
- Unintentional injuries: 37.5%
- Suicide: 19.2%
- Homicide: 15.1%
- Cancer: 5.6%
- Heart disease: 2.8%
- Congenital malformations: 2%
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 0.9%
- Diabetes: 0.8%
- Influenza and pneumonia: 0.7%
- Stroke: 0.7%
Ages 25-44
- Unintentional injuries: 33.6%
- Suicide: 10.6%
- Cancer: 9.8%
- Heart disease: 9.7%
- Homicide: 5.8%
- Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: 4.3%
- Diabetes: 2.3%
- Stroke: 1.7%
- Influenza and pneumonia: 1%
- Kidney disease: 0.8%
Ages 45-64
- Cancer: 25.4%
- Heart disease: 20.6%
- Unintentional injuries: 10.4%
- Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: 4.4%
- Diabetes: 4.3%
- Stroke: 3.6%
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 3.4%
- Suicide: 3%
- Kidney disease: 1.6%
- Septicemia: 1.5%
Age 65 and older
- Heart disease: 24%
- Cancer: 20.1%
- Stroke: 6.2%
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 5.4%
- Alzheimer disease: 4.9%
- Unintentional injuries: 3.2%
- Diabetes: 2.9%
- Kidney disease: 1.9%
- Parkinson disease: 1.7%
- Influenza and pneumonia: 1.7%
Age 85 and older
- Heart disease: 27.3%
- Cancer: 11.9%
- Stroke: 7.7%
- Alzheimer disease: 7.6%
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 4.1%
- Unintentional injuries: 3.1%
- Diabetes: 2%
- Kidney disease: 1.9%
- Influenza and pneumonia: 1.8%
- Hypertension: 1.8%
