The death rate in the U.S. declined to a new record low in 2025, according to new provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) out Thursday.
The CDCreported that 3,094,593 total deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2025. The nationâs overall death rate was 689.2 per 100,000 people, a 4.6% decrease from 2024 and also marking the lowest death rate ever recorded in the U.S., according to the CDC.
The death rate dropped across all age groups, per the CDCâs data. Moreover, the age-adjusted U.S. death rate per 100,000 people was 811.1 for males and 582.9 for females.
Overall, age-adjusted death rates in the U.S. were lowest among the multiracial non-Hispanic population in 2025 at 187.3 per 100,000 people, and highest among the black non-Hispanic population at 869.0 per 100,000 people, according to the CDCâs estimates.
The CDCâs report also notes that the top causes of death nationwide in 2025 were heart disease, cancer and âunintentionalâ injuries.
âIn 2025, death rates per 100,000 were lowest for children ages 5â14 years (14.0) and highest for people age 85 and older (12,787.5), similar to patterns in 2024,â according to the report.
The fall in total deaths last year was largely driven by a steady drop in drug overdoses, NewsNation reported.
The nationâs general fertility rate was 53.1 births per 1,000 females ages 15â44 in 2025, marking a 1% decline from 2024, according to CDC data released in April.
Several analysts previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that issues such as less quality medical care, lack of access to medical insurance and unhealthy lifestyle habits may have been driving poor health among some southern Americans in recent years.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporterâs byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].