The provisional U.S. death rate fell 4.6% in 2025, continuing a decline from the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The age-adjusted rate dropped to 689.2 deaths per 100,000 people, down from 722.1 in 2024. Heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries remained the country’s three leading causes of death.
Researchers said the overall decline was partly tied to fewer fatal drug overdoses, which are included in the unintentional-injury category. Flu and pneumonia deaths, however, rose 17% to more than 56,500. The illnesses moved from the 11th-leading cause of death in 2024 to eighth in 2025. CDC officials said the severe 2024-25 flu season, especially during January and February, contributed to the increase.
Death rates declined for several groups, but rose among American Indian and Alaska Native people and Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people. Black Americans continued to have the highest mortality rate, despite a slight improvement.The CDC emphasized that the numbers are provisional and could change as additional death certificates are processed.
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