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Visualizing America’s Leading Causes of Death
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Key Takeaways
- Heart disease, cancer, and unintended injury are the top three causes of death in America.
- Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, followed by colorectal and pancreatic cancers.
Today, cancer causes about 620,000 deaths in America each year, the highest only after heart disease.
While it remains significant, rates have steadily fallen in recent decades. A large driver has been the decline of cigarette smoking, responsible for about a fifth of cancer-related deaths globally.
This graphic shows the leading causes of death in the U.S., based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics via CDC.
Leading Causes of Death in 2024
In 2024, there were 3.1 million deaths in the U.S., with the 10 most prevalent causes responsible for about 70% of all deaths:
| Rank | Cause of Death | Number of U.S. Deaths in 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 683,037 |
| 2 | Cancer | 619,812 |
| 3 | Unintentional injury | 196,488 |
| 4 | Stroke | 166,783 |
| 5 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 145,612 |
| 6 | Alzheimer's disease | 116,016 |
| 7 | Diabetes | 94,382 |
| 8 | Kidney disease | 55,070 |
| 9 | Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis | 52,259 |
| 10 | Suicide | 48,683 |
Heart disease kills more Americans than any other cause, accounting for roughly 22% of deaths in 2024. This is equal to roughly 1,870 deaths each day.
Among the primary risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and prediabetes.
In 2025, cancer is projected to cause 1,690 deaths per day, led by lung cancer. Last year, lung cancer caused 124,730 deaths, more than double colorectal and pancreas cancer, the second and third-highest causes.
Ranking in sixth is Alzheimer’s, with 116,016 deaths. Today, seven million Americans are impacted by the disease, and there is no cure. However, promisingly, advances in GLP-1s, like those used to treat weight loss, stand as a top emerging technology in 2025 for their progress in slowing neurodegenerative diseases.
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To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the countries with the highest life expectancy.