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2w ago

U.S. Death Rate Falls to Record Low in 2025

Provisional CDC data tie the drop to falling overdoses with reduced COVID deaths, flagging a sharp rise in flu and pneumonia fatalities that could reshape public-health priorities.

A sign sits outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Roybal campus in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Megan Varner/File Photo
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Overview

  • The CDC’s provisional report released July 2, 2026 estimated 3,094,593 deaths in 2025 and an age-adjusted death rate of 689.2 per 100,000, a 4.6% decline from 2024.
  • Officials said the overall drop was driven largely by a sustained fall in fatal drug overdoses and fewer COVID-19 deaths, with declines seen across every age group and both sexes.
  • Heart disease and cancer remained the top causes with about 694,708 and 622,832 deaths respectively while unintentional injuries, which include overdoses, totaled about 184,265 deaths.
  • Deaths from influenza and pneumonia rose roughly 17% to 56,511 in 2025, moving that category into the top 10 causes of death and prompting concern about lower vaccination and severe 2024–25 flu strains.
  • The report stresses that figures are provisional and likely to change when delayed records are processed, and it highlights persistent racial and sex disparities with highest age-adjusted rates for Black Americans and for men.