A drop in fatal overdoses helps push the US death rate to a record low

Provisional data from the CDC indicates that the US death rate reached a record low in 2025, falling to 689.2 per 100,000 people. This represents a 4.6 percent decrease compared to 2024, marking the lowest rate in national history. This decline was supported by a drop in fatal overdoses. Meanwhile, flu and pneumonia have risen to become one of the top 10 leading causes of death, according to the Vital Statistics Rapid Release report.