... Category not applicable.
1Based on number of deaths.
2Infant deaths per 100,000 live births.
NOTES: Numbers showing percentage by cause are rounded, so these numbers may not add to 100.0%. The 10 leading causes of infant death in 2023 accounted for 65.3% of all U.S. infant deaths. Causes of death are ranked according to number of deaths in 2023. Rankings for 2022 data are not shown.
SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, mortality data file.
In 2023, a total of 3,090,964 resident deaths were registered in the United States -- 188,893 fewer deaths than in 2022. The number of deaths for which COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death decreased 73.2% from 186,552 in 2022 to 49,932 in 2023. COVID-19 dropped from the 4th leading cause of death in 2022 to the 10th leading cause in 2023. The age-adjusted death rate for the total population decreased 6.0% in 2023 from 2022 (1). Life expectancy for the total population increased 0.9 year from 2022 to 2023 (1). Age-specific death rates decreased in 2023 from 2022 for age groups 5-14 and older. Age-adjusted death rates decreased in 2023 from 2022 for all race and Hispanic-origin groups for both males and females.
The 10 leading causes of death in 2023 remained the same as in 2022, although some causes changed ranks. Heart disease and cancer remained the top two leading causes of death. Age-adjusted death rates decreased for nine of the leading causes. Life expectancy at birth increased 0.9 year from 77.5 in 2022 to 78.4 in 2023, largely because of decreases in mortality due to COVID-19, heart disease, unintentional injuries, cancer, and diabetes.
In 2023, the number of infant deaths was 20,145, which was 408 fewer infant deaths than in 2022. The IMR of 560.2 infant deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023 did not change significantly from 2022 (560.4). Among the 10 leading causes of infant death, the only significant change in IMR from 2022 to 2023 was the 10.7% decrease for cord and placental complications.
Data and findings in this report are based on final mortality data and may differ from provisional data and findings previously published.
Cause of death: Based on medical information -- including injury diagnoses and external causes of injury -- entered on death certificates filed in the United States. This information is classified and coded according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (2).
Death rates: For 2023, based on population estimates for July 1, 2023, that are based on the blended base produced by the U.S. Census Bureau in place of the April 1, 2020, decennial population count. The blended base consists of Vintage 2020 population estimates for April 1, 2020 (based on the April 1, 2010, decennial census), blended with the 2020 Demographic Analysis estimates and the 2020 Census Edited File (see: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/technical-documentation/methodology/2020-2023/methods-statement-v2023.pdf). These population estimates are available from the CDC WONDER website (3). Age-adjusted death rates are useful when comparing different populations because they remove the potential bias that can occur when the populations being compared have different age structures. The National Center for Health Statistics uses the direct method of standardization; see the Technical Notes of "Deaths: Final Data for 2022" (4) for more information.
Infant mortality rate (IMR): Computed by dividing the number of infant deaths in a calendar year by the number of live births registered for the same period. IMR is the most widely used index for measuring the risk of dying during the first year of life.
Leading causes of death: Ranked according to the number of deaths assigned to rankable causes (5).
Life expectancy: The expected average number of years of life remaining at a given age. It is denoted by e, which means the average number of subsequent years of life for someone now age x. Life expectancy estimates for 2023 are based on a methodology first implemented with 2008 final mortality data (6).
The data shown in this report reflect information collected by the National Center for Health Statistics for 2022 and 2023 from death certificates filed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and compiled into national data known as the National Vital Statistics System. Differences between death rates were evaluated using a two-tailed z test.
The race and Hispanic-origin groups shown in this report follow the 1997 Office of Management and Budget standards and differ from the bridged-race categories shown in reports for data years before 2018 (4).
Death rates for the Hispanic, non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native, and non-Hispanic Asian populations are affected by inconsistencies in reporting Hispanic origin and race on the death certificate compared with censuses and surveys (7,8). As a result, death rates are underestimated by 3% for the Hispanic and non-Hispanic Asian populations and by 34% for the non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native population. Age-adjusted death rates by race and ethnicity in this report are adjusted for race and Hispanic-origin misclassification on death certificates (7,8). Adjusted data may differ from data shown in other reports that have not been adjusted for misclassification. The classification ratios used for the adjustment of race and Hispanic-origin misclassification on death certificates can be found elsewhere (9). The classification ratios for the Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander non-Hispanic population were not produced because the data needed to evaluate race and ethnicity misclassification on death certificates are not currently available for this population; consequently, rates for this group are not included in this report.
Sherry L. Murphy, Kenneth D. Kochanek, Jiaquan Xu, and Elizabeth Arias are with the National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Vital Statistics. The authors would like to acknowledge Arialdi Miniño and Brigham Bastian, Division of Vital Statistics, for providing content review of data and tables.
Murphy SL, Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Arias E. Mortality in the United States, 2023. NCHS Data Brief, no 521. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2024. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc/170564.
All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.