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The United States death rate fell to its lowest point ever in 2025, putting national life expectancy on track to reach a record high, according to new federal data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported about 689 deaths per 100,000 people last year—a 4.6% drop from 2024 and the lowest rate since tracking began more than a century ago. This decline continued a trend of falling death rates since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, when rates were much higher.
According to the CDC’s provisional report, life expectancy is expected to reach a new record based on these declining death rates, though final calculations will be released later this year as more data is reviewed. The age-adjusted death rate has dropped by 22% since 2021 and is about 4% lower than before the pandemic in 2019. The CDC noted that the decline was seen across all age groups and both men and women, with deaths among men and older adults remaining the highest.
The leading causes of death in 2025 were heart disease—resulting in nearly 695,000 deaths—followed by cancer with almost 623,000 deaths, and unintentional injuries, including drug overdoses, at about 184,000 deaths. Experts say a sharp decline in fatal drug overdoses played a major role in the overall improvement, as did fewer deaths from COVID-19 compared to previous years. However, deaths from influenza and pneumonia rose by 17%, making these illnesses the eighth leading cause of death after a severe flu season, as noted by the CDC report.
While the overall trend is positive, significant health disparities remain. Death rates for Black and American Indian individuals are still more than twice as high as those for Asian Americans, even though most groups saw improvements.
The CDC cautioned that the current numbers are provisional and may change when all death certificates are processed. Finalized mortality statistics are expected later this year. Until then, experts urge continued attention to chronic disease prevention and reducing health disparities, even as Americans celebrate living longer than ever before.