Causes of death
Malnutrition deaths in the US
Malnutrition killed 27,004 people in the United States in 2025, making it the #15 cause of death. Adjusted for the country's aging population, the death rate is 6.3 per 100,000, up 300% from 1.6 in 1999.
Malnutrition deaths per year, 1999 to 2025
Data table
| Year | Deaths | Crude rate per 100,000 | Age-adjusted rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 4,289 | 1.537 | 1.566 |
| 2000 | 4,242 | 1.507 | 1.53 |
| 2001 | 3,704 | 1.3 | 1.312 |
| 2002 | 3,779 | 1.314 | 1.324 |
| 2003 | 3,338 | 1.151 | 1.144 |
| 2004 | 3,019 | 1.031 | 1.029 |
| 2005 | 3,183 | 1.077 | 1.059 |
| 2006 | 2,556 | 0.857 | 0.82 |
| 2007 | 2,852 | 0.947 | 0.901 |
| 2008 | 2,976 | 0.979 | 0.921 |
| 2009 | 2,850 | 0.929 | 0.886 |
| 2010 | 2,948 | 0.955 | 0.878 |
| 2011 | 3,191 | 1.024 | 0.932 |
| 2012 | 3,195 | 1.018 | 0.904 |
| 2013 | 3,382 | 1.07 | 0.924 |
| 2014 | 4,110 | 1.289 | 1.122 |
| 2015 | 5,222 | 1.625 | 1.38 |
| 2016 | 6,329 | 1.959 | 1.637 |
| 2017 | 7,846 | 2.409 | 1.981 |
| 2018 | 9,619 | 2.94 | 2.393 |
| 2019 | 11,570 | 3.525 | 2.819 |
| 2020 | 14,682 | 4.456 | 3.519 |
| 2021 | 17,505 | 5.274 | 4.464 |
| 2022 | 21,020 | 6.307 | 5.024 |
| 2023 | 22,766 | 6.798 | 5.479 |
| 2024 | 25,301 | 7.439 | 5.875 |
| 2025 | 27,004 | 7.94 | 6.269 |
It ranked #26 in 1999 and #15 in 2025, and has been as high as #15.
What malnutrition means here
Nutritional deficiency deaths in the United States are mostly not about a lack of food. They happen among very old people and those with serious illness, such as dementia, who cannot eat or absorb enough. Part of the long rise in this count probably reflects how deaths are recorded, as well as the aging population.
CDC category: Nutritional deficiencies (E40-E64)
What stands out in the 2025 data
- It accounted for 0.9% of all US deaths in 2025, about 1 in 115.
- Deaths from it are at the highest level in the data, which starts in 1999.
- 81% of the people who died of it were 75 or older.
- Women were 62% of the deaths, and their age-adjusted death rate was 1.2 times the rate for men.
Who dies of malnutrition
| Age | Deaths | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | 17 | 0.5 |
| 1 to 4 | under 10 | |
| 5 to 14 | under 10 | |
| 15 to 24 | 20 | 0 |
| 25 to 34 | 54 | 0.1 |
| 35 to 44 | 132 | 0.3 |
| 45 to 54 | 298 | 0.7 |
| 55 to 64 | 1,108 | 2.7 |
| 65 to 74 | 3,424 | 9.7 |
| 75 to 84 | 7,443 | 38.6 |
| 85 and over | 14,494 | 225.2 |
| Sex | Deaths | Age-adjusted rate |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 16,875 | 6.7 |
| Men | 10,129 | 5.6 |
Common questions
How many people die of malnutrition in the US each year?
Malnutrition caused 27,004 deaths in the United States in 2025 (CDC provisional data), compared with 4,289 in 1999.
Is the malnutrition death rate going up or down?
The age-adjusted death rate for malnutrition was 6.3 per 100,000 in 2025, up 300% from 1.6 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 malnutrition rank among causes of death?
It ranked #26 in 1999 and #15 in 2025, and has been as high as #15. The top causes in 2025 were heart disease, cancer and accidents.
Who dies of malnutrition?
Most deaths, and the highest death rate, were in people aged 85 and over (14,494 deaths in 2025). 10,129 men and 16,875 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
- Alzheimer's disease · 116,856 deaths in 2025, #6
- Aspiration pneumonia · 18,865 deaths in 2025, #16
- Parkinson's disease · 43,537 deaths in 2025, #12
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.