Deaths: Final Data for 2022

Objectives: This report presents final 2022 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.

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 Office of Management and Budget revised standards for race. Data based on these revised standards are not completely comparable to previous years.

Results: In 2022, a total of 3,279,857 deaths were reported in the United States. The age-adjusted death rate was 798.8 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population, a decrease of 9.2% from the 2021 rate. Life expectancy at birth was 77.5 years, an increase of 1.1 years from 2021. Age-specific death rates decreased from 2021 to 2022 for age groups 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65-74, 75-84, and 85 and older and increased for age groups 1-4 and 5-14. In 2022, the 10 leading causes of death remained the same as in 2021, although four causes changed rank. Heart disease remained the top leading cause, followed by cancer. The infant mortality rate, 5.60 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, increased 2.9% from the rate in 2021 (5.44).

Conclusions: In 2022, the age-adjusted death rate decreased and life expectancy at birth increased for the total, male, and female populations, primarily due to the decrease in deaths from COVID-19.