Causes of death
Benign & other tumors deaths in the US
Benign & other tumors killed 16,437 people in the United States in 2025, making it the #18 cause of death. Adjusted for the country's aging population, the death rate is 3.8 per 100,000, down 22% from 4.8 in 1999.
Benign & other tumors deaths per year, 1999 to 2025
Data table
| Year | Deaths | Crude rate per 100,000 | Age-adjusted rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 13,227 | 4.74 | 4.85 |
| 2000 | 13,546 | 4.813 | 4.873 |
| 2001 | 13,676 | 4.799 | 4.883 |
| 2002 | 13,299 | 4.624 | 4.664 |
| 2003 | 13,563 | 4.675 | 4.696 |
| 2004 | 13,580 | 4.638 | 4.627 |
| 2005 | 13,710 | 4.639 | 4.567 |
| 2006 | 14,122 | 4.733 | 4.628 |
| 2007 | 14,204 | 4.715 | 4.575 |
| 2008 | 14,470 | 4.758 | 4.568 |
| 2009 | 14,605 | 4.761 | 4.531 |
| 2010 | 14,917 | 4.831 | 4.568 |
| 2011 | 14,997 | 4.813 | 4.462 |
| 2012 | 15,056 | 4.796 | 4.376 |
| 2013 | 15,232 | 4.818 | 4.337 |
| 2014 | 16,039 | 5.03 | 4.445 |
| 2015 | 16,277 | 5.064 | 4.421 |
| 2016 | 15,794 | 4.888 | 4.196 |
| 2017 | 15,824 | 4.858 | 4.109 |
| 2018 | 15,640 | 4.78 | 3.963 |
| 2019 | 15,590 | 4.75 | 3.874 |
| 2020 | 16,229 | 4.926 | 3.961 |
| 2021 | 16,237 | 4.892 | 4.09 |
| 2022 | 16,034 | 4.811 | 3.829 |
| 2023 | 16,139 | 4.819 | 3.831 |
| 2024 | 16,244 | 4.776 | 3.741 |
| 2025 | 16,437 | 4.833 | 3.792 |
It ranked #21 in 1999 and #18 in 2025, and has been as high as #16.
What benign & other tumors means here
This is a catch-all for tumors that are not clearly cancer: early-stage in situ tumors, benign tumors and growths whose behavior is uncertain. It includes conditions such as myelodysplastic syndromes, a group of bone marrow disorders, and some brain tumors. It is kept apart from the main cancer count.
CDC category: In situ neoplasms, benign neoplasms and neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behavior (D00-D48)
What stands out in the 2025 data
- It accounted for 0.5% of all US deaths in 2025, about 1 in 188.
- Deaths from it are at the highest level in the data, which starts in 1999.
- 65% of the people who died of it were 75 or older.
- Men were 53% of the deaths, and their age-adjusted death rate was 1.5 times the rate for women.
Who dies of benign & other tumors
| Age | Deaths | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | 35 | 1 |
| 1 to 4 | 33 | 0.2 |
| 5 to 14 | 36 | 0.1 |
| 15 to 24 | 75 | 0.2 |
| 25 to 34 | 111 | 0.2 |
| 35 to 44 | 228 | 0.5 |
| 45 to 54 | 516 | 1.3 |
| 55 to 64 | 1,274 | 3.1 |
| 65 to 74 | 3,371 | 9.5 |
| 75 to 84 | 5,694 | 29.5 |
| 85 and over | 5,064 | 78.7 |
| Sex | Deaths | Age-adjusted rate |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 7,706 | 3.2 |
| Men | 8,731 | 4.6 |
Common questions
How many people die of benign & other tumors in the US each year?
Benign & other tumors caused 16,437 deaths in the United States in 2025 (CDC provisional data), compared with 13,227 in 1999.
Is the benign & other tumors death rate going up or down?
The age-adjusted death rate for benign & other tumors was 3.8 per 100,000 in 2025, down 22% from 4.8 in 1999. Age adjustment removes the effect of the population getting older, so it shows whether the risk per person changed, not just the raw count.
Where does benign & other tumors rank among causes of death?
It ranked #21 in 1999 and #18 in 2025, and has been as high as #16. The top causes in 2025 were heart disease, cancer and accidents.
Who dies of benign & other tumors?
The most deaths were in people aged 75 to 84 (5,694 in 2025), and the highest death rate was in those aged 85 and over. 8,731 men and 7,706 women died of it.
Where does this data come from?
CDC WONDER, the National Center for Health Statistics death certificate data, using the NCHS list of 113 selected causes. Counts for 2025 are provisional and can be revised slightly upward.
Keep reading
- Cancer · 623,191 deaths in 2025, #2
- Heart disease · 695,898 deaths in 2025, #1
- Kidney disease · 55,435 deaths in 2025, #9
Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death, NCHS 113 selected causes. 2025 counts are provisional. Explore more on the Causes of Death page, or see what kills people your age.