"• In 2021, a total of 3,464,231 resident deaths were registered in the United States, an increase of 80,502 deaths compared with 2020 (3,383,729). The 1-year increase in the number of deaths was primarily driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"• The crude death rate was 1,043.8 deaths per 100,000 population. The age-adjusted death rate, which accounts for the aging of the population, was 879.7 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population.
"• The age-adjusted death rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic (subsequently, American Indian and Alaska Native) population (1,109.2) was 1.2 times greater than for the White non-Hispanic (subsequently, White) population (893.9).
"• The age-adjusted death rate for the Black non-Hispanic (subsequently, Black) population (1,118.0) was 1.3 times greater than for the White population (893.9).
"• The age-adjusted death rate for the White population (893.9) was 1.9 times greater than for the Asian non-Hispanic (subsequently, Asian) population (461.7) and 1.2 times greater than for the Hispanic population (724.7).
"• Life expectancy at birth was 76.4 years.
"• From 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at birth decreased by 0.7 year for males (from 74.2 to 73.5) and by 0.6 year for females (79.9 to 79.3).
"• The 15 leading causes of death in 2021 were:
"1. Diseases of heart (heart disease)
"2. Malignant neoplasms (cancer)
"3. COVID-19
"4. Accidents (unintentional injuries)
"5. Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke)
"6. Chronic lower respiratory diseases
"7. Alzheimer disease
"8. Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)
"9. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
"10. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney disease)
"11. Intentional self-harm (suicide)
"12. Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (hypertension)
"13. Influenza and pneumonia
"14. Septicemia
"15. Parkinson disease
"• In 2021, the infant mortality rate (IMR) was 5.44 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
"• The 10 leading causes of infant death were:
"1. Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (congenital malformations)
"2. Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified (low birth weight)
"3. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
"4. Accidents (unintentional injuries)
"5. Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy (maternal complications)
"6. Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes (cord and placental complications)
"7. Bacterial sepsis of newborn
"8. Respiratory distress of newborn
"9. Diseases of the circulatory system
"10. Intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia"
Murphy SL, Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Arias E. Deaths: Final data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 73 no 8. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2024. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc/158787.
