The U.S. provisional death rate fell 4.6% in 2025, with heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries remaining the leading causes of mortality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.
The age-adjusted death rate fell to 689.2 deaths per 100,000 people from 722.1 a year earlier, continuing a steady decline since the rate peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
However, the number of deaths from influenza and pneumonia rose 17% to 56,511 in 2025, making it the eighth leading cause of mortality in the country from 11th a year ago, the provisional report from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics said.
"The flu season, especially in January and February of 2025, was severe, leading to a lot of flu deaths," Ahmad said.
Severe flu seasons in the past had been linked to rising deaths from chronic diseases, and may also have been a factor in the roughly 1.6% increase in heart disease deaths in 2025, Ahmad added.
Seasonal flu-related hospitalizations and outpatient visits reached a 15-year high during the 2024-25 season, according to the agency.
