COVID has been a top 10 killer since 2020—but CDC data released Wednesday shows it fell off the list in 2024. ABC News reports that suicide took COVID's place among the top 10 leading causes of death last year. The report also found the death rate dipped 3.8% in 2024, marking the lowest point since 2019, per CNN, and putting the current death rate at 722 per 100,000 people, down from 750.5 in 2023. In raw numbers, that's about 3.07 million deaths in 2024, compared with 3.09 million the year before. For comparison, there were 880 deaths for every 100,000 people as COVID raged in 2021.
What's behind the drop? Falling COVID cases appear to be a key factor. Drug overdose deaths dropped sharply as well—down nearly 27% to a five-year low. As for what is driving America's deaths, heart disease, cancer, and accidental injuries continue to hold the top three spots, with the first two driving more than 40% of all deaths, per CNN. "Heart disease is still number one, and it's definitely not going in the right direction," Scripps Research director Eric Topol tells STAT.
The other leading causes of death in the report were stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. The report spotlights persistent disparities: Death rates fell across all racial and ethnic groups, but they remained highest among Black Americans. Age differences also stand out, with the oldest adults facing the steepest mortality rates, and children between 5 and 14 seeing the lowest.
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