The short answer
How Many People Die in the US Each Year?
About 3.10 million people died in the United States in 2025, roughly 8,485 a day, or one death every 10 seconds.
US deaths per year, 1968 to 2025
Data table
| Year | Deaths |
|---|---|
| 1968 | 1,930,082 |
| 1969 | 1,921,990 |
| 1970 | 1,921,031 |
| 1971 | 1,927,542 |
| 1972 | 1,963,944 |
| 1973 | 1,973,003 |
| 1974 | 1,934,388 |
| 1975 | 1,892,879 |
| 1976 | 1,909,440 |
| 1977 | 1,899,597 |
| 1978 | 1,927,788 |
| 1979 | 1,913,841 |
| 1980 | 1,989,841 |
| 1981 | 1,977,981 |
| 1982 | 1,974,797 |
| 1983 | 2,019,201 |
| 1984 | 2,039,369 |
| 1985 | 2,086,440 |
| 1986 | 2,105,361 |
| 1987 | 2,123,323 |
| 1988 | 2,167,999 |
| 1989 | 2,150,466 |
| 1990 | 2,148,463 |
| 1991 | 2,169,518 |
| 1992 | 2,175,613 |
| 1993 | 2,268,553 |
| 1994 | 2,278,994 |
| 1995 | 2,312,132 |
| 1996 | 2,314,690 |
| 1997 | 2,314,245 |
| 1998 | 2,337,256 |
| 1999 | 2,391,399 |
| 2000 | 2,403,351 |
| 2001 | 2,416,425 |
| 2002 | 2,443,387 |
| 2003 | 2,448,288 |
| 2004 | 2,397,615 |
| 2005 | 2,448,017 |
| 2006 | 2,426,264 |
| 2007 | 2,423,712 |
| 2008 | 2,471,984 |
| 2009 | 2,437,163 |
| 2010 | 2,468,435 |
| 2011 | 2,515,458 |
| 2012 | 2,543,279 |
| 2013 | 2,596,993 |
| 2014 | 2,626,418 |
| 2015 | 2,712,630 |
| 2016 | 2,744,248 |
| 2017 | 2,813,503 |
| 2018 | 2,839,205 |
| 2019 | 2,854,838 |
| 2020 | 3,383,729 |
| 2021 | 3,464,231 |
| 2022 | 3,279,857 |
| 2023 | 3,090,964 |
| 2024 | 3,072,666 |
| 2025 | 3,096,850 |
Common questions
How many people die in the US each year?
3,096,850 people died in the United States in 2025, according to CDC provisional data. That is about 8,485 a day.
Are more people dying now than in the past?
Yes in raw numbers: 3,096,850 deaths in 2025 against 2,403,351 in 2000 and 1,930,082 in 1968. Much of the rise is a larger and older population, not a higher risk per person. The age-adjusted death rate has fallen over the same period.
What was the deadliest year in US history in the data?
2021 had the most deaths on record, 3,464,231, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is the leading cause of death?
Heart disease (695,897), Cancer (623,204), Accidents (186,335) were the top three causes in 2025.
Where does this data come from?
CDC WONDER, the National Center for Health Statistics. Counts from 1999 come from death certificates; 1968 to 1998 use the same series at broader detail. Recent years are provisional.
Go deeper: leading causes, what kills people your age and the death statistics over time.