Deaths: Final Data for 2020.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Descriptive national vital statistics registry report.
What was done
This report analyzed final 2020 mortality data derived from all death certificates filed in state registration offices across the United States and compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics. Causes of death were categorized using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) to assess total deaths, age-adjusted death rates, life expectancy, leading causes of death, and infant mortality.
What was found
A total of 3,383,729 deaths occurred in the United States in 2020. The age-adjusted death rate increased by 16.8% from 2019 to 835.4 deaths per 100,000 standard population. Life expectancy at birth decreased by 1.8 years to 77.0 years. Age-specific death rates rose for individuals aged 15 years and older but declined for children under 1 year. COVID-19 ranked as the third leading cause of death in 2020. The infant mortality rate dropped 2.9% to 5.42 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Why it matters
This report establishes the definitive federal mortality statistics for 2020, quantifying the population-level impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US life expectancy and age-specific mortality patterns.
Limits
The findings rely on death certificate reporting, which is vulnerable to cause-of-death misclassification and reporting discrepancies across jurisdictions. Changes in race reporting standards make certain demographic comparisons with years prior to 2018 not completely comparable. The abstract provides aggregate mortality measures without individual-level clinical or socioeconomic risk factor data.
Cited by
- supports The average lifespan in the United States is approximately 79 years.