OBJECTIVES

This report presents final 2021 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 . 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 2021, a total of 3,464,231 deaths were reported in the United States. The age-adjusted death rate was 879.7 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population, an increase of 5.3% from the 2020 rate. Life expectancy at birth was 76.4 years, a decrease of 0.6 year from 2020. Age-specific death rates increased from 2020 to 2021 for every age group. In 2021, 9 of the 10 leading causes of death remained the same as in 2020. Heart disease remained the top leading cause, followed by cancer and COVID-19. The infant mortality rate of 5.44 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021 did not change significantly from the rate in 2020 (5.42).

CONCLUSIONS

In 2021, the age-adjusted death rate increased and life expectancy at birth decreased for the total, male, and female populations, primarily due to the influence of deaths from COVID-19.