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. 2026 Sep;75(7):10.15620/cdc/252465. doi: 10.15620/cdc/252465

Deaths: Leading Causes for 2024.

Betzaida Tejada-Vera, Brigham A Bastian, Arialdi M Miniño
PMCID: PMC13655857  PMID: 42842986

Abstract

OBJECTIVES

This report presents final 2024 data on the 10 leading causes of death in the United States by age group, race and Hispanic origin, and sex. Leading causes of infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death are also presented. This report supplements "Deaths: Final Data for 2024," the National Center for Health Statistics' annual report of final mortality statistics.

METHODS

Data in this report are based on information from all death certificates filed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2024. Causes of death classified by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision are ranked according to the number of deaths. Cause-of-death statistics are based on the underlying cause of death.

RESULTS

In 2024, the ranked order of 9 of the 10 leading causes of death remained unchanged from 2023. The 10 leading causes of death in 2024 in ranked order were: Diseases of heart; Malignant neoplasms; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Cerebrovascular diseases; Chronic lower respiratory diseases; Alzheimer disease; Diabetes mellitus; Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis; Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis; and Intentional self-harm (suicide). These causes accounted for 70.9% of all deaths occurring in the United States. Rankings are presented by age, race, Hispanic origin, and sex. The 10 leading causes of infant death for 2024 in ranked order were: Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities; Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified; Sudden infant death syndrome; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy; Bacterial sepsis of newborn; Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes; Respiratory distress of newborn; Diseases of the circulatory system; and Intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia.

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