Deaths: Final data for 2019

Abstract

Objectives—This report presents final 2019 data on U.S. deaths, death rates, life expectancy, infant and maternal mortality, and trends by selected characteristics such as age, sex, Hispanic origin and race, state of residence, and cause of death. The race categories are consistent with 1997 Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards, different from reports prior to 2018, which followed 1977 OMB standards. Methods—Information reported on death certificates is presented in descriptive tabulations. The original records are filed in state registration offices. Statistical information is compiled in a national database through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program of the National Center for Health Statistics. Causes of death are processed according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. Beginning in 2018, all states and the District of Columbia were using the 2003 revised certificate of death for the entire year, which includes the 1997 OMB revised standards for race. The 2019 and 2018 data based on the revised standards are not completely comparable to previous years. Selected estimates are presented in this report for both the revised and previous race standards to provide some reference for interpretation of trends. Results—In 2019, a total of 2,854,838 deaths were reported in the United States. The age-adjusted death rate was 715.2 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population, a decrease of 1.2% from the 2018 rate. Life expectancy at birth was 78.8 years, an increase of 0.1 year from 2018. Age-specific death rates decreased in 2019 from 2018 for age groups 45–54, 65–74, 75–84, and 85 and over and increased for age group 35–44. The 15 leading causes of death in 2019 remained the same as in 2018, although two causes exchanged ranks. Influenza and pneumonia, the eighth leading cause of death in 2018, became the ninth leading cause of death in 2019, while kidney disease, the ninth leading cause of death in 2018, became the eighth leading cause of death in 2019. The infant mortality rate, 5.58 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019, remained a historic low but was not statistically different from the rate in 2018. Conclusions—In 2019, the age-adjusted death rate decreased and life expectancy at birth increased for the total, male, and female populations for the second consecutive year.