After being one of the leading causes of death in the United States for several years, COVID-19 was the 10th leading cause of death in 2023, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2023, there were nearly 3.1 million deaths in the United States. Of the deaths, 76,446 were due to COVID-19 in some way, either as an underlying or contributing cause of death. In 2022, there were 245,614 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
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COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death in 2022 and the third leading cause in 2021. According to the CDC, COVID-19 was responsible for 460,000 deaths in 2021.
The 68.9% decline in COVID-19-related deaths in 2023 helped reduce the U.S. death rate by 6.1%. In 2022, 798.8 people died per 100,000 residents. In 2023, that number dropped to 750.4 per 100,000.
Heart disease is the most common cause of death
Heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries remained the leading causes of death in the United States in 2023. Heart disease accounted for 680,909 deaths, followed by cancer with 613,331 deaths and unintentional injuries with 222,518 deaths.
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Here is a look at the top 10 causes of death in 2023:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Unintentional injury
- stroke
- Chronic diseases of the lower respiratory tract
- Alzheimer’s disease
- diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
- COVID-19
