Cardiovascular Disease: Still the Leading Cause of Death?
Is Cardiovascular Disease Still America’s Leading Cause of Death? Latest CDC Mortality Data
Yes. In the latest CDC/NCHS provisional mortality data, heart disease remained the leading underlying cause of death in the United States in 2024. The broader category of cardiovascular disease is even larger because it includes heart disease, stroke, and other circulatory conditions. That distinction matters: the official leading-cause table ranks one underlying cause of death, while broader cardiovascular statistics describe the full public-health burden.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Data note: the Top 10 table uses CDC/NCHS provisional mortality counts for deaths occurring in 2024 and processed as of June 1, 2025. Risk-factor indicators use the latest available CDC/NCHS or CDC releases and may refer to earlier survey periods. Data type: provisional mortality snapshot for 2024; final or survey-based actual data where noted. This page should be read as a latest official data review, not as a 2025 forecast.
Summary cards: the current U.S. cardiovascular mortality picture
Overview: why the answer is still yes, but the wording matters
Heart disease remains the leading underlying cause of death in the United States in the latest CDC/NCHS provisional mortality release for 2024. Cancer is close behind but still lower in the ranking: 683,037 provisional deaths from heart disease compared with 619,812 from cancer. This is a death-certificate-based ranking of the underlying cause, not a count of every condition mentioned on death certificates.
Cardiovascular disease is a wider category than heart disease alone. CDC’s heart disease facts report 919,032 cardiovascular disease deaths in 2023, equal to about one in every three deaths. That broader figure is important for prevention planning because stroke, hypertension-related disease, and other circulatory conditions are part of the same risk landscape.
The data do not support dramatic short-term claims. They show a persistent burden shaped by aging, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, smoking history, cholesterol, and unequal access to preventive care. The 2024 provisional mortality report also shows that the overall age-adjusted death rate declined from 2023 to 2024, while heart disease remained first in the cause-of-death ranking.
Top 10 leading underlying causes of death in the United States, 2024 provisional snapshot
| Rank | Cause of death | Deaths | Data type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart disease | 683,037 | 2024 provisional |
| 2 | Cancer | 619,812 | 2024 provisional |
| 3 | Unintentional injury | 196,488 | 2024 provisional |
| 4 | Stroke | 166,783 | 2024 provisional |
| 5 | Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 145,612 | 2024 provisional |
| 6 | Alzheimer disease | 116,016 | 2024 provisional |
| 7 | Diabetes | 94,382 | 2024 provisional |
| 8 | Kidney disease | 55,070 | 2024 provisional |
| 9 | Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis | 52,259 | 2024 provisional |
| 10 | Suicide | 48,683 | 2024 provisional |
Source and limitation: CDC/NCHS Vital Statistics Rapid Release, provisional U.S. mortality data for deaths occurring in 2024, based on records processed as of June 1, 2025. Counts exclude U.S. territories and foreign residents. Provisional totals may change after final mortality data are released.
Chart: leading U.S. causes of death by provisional 2024 count
Deaths by underlying cause, United States, 2024 provisional snapshot
Chart note: bars are scaled against heart disease, the largest category in the provisional 2024 ranking. The table above provides the full Top 10 list and exact counts.
Methodology: how to interpret the mortality snapshot
The leading-cause table uses the CDC/NCHS approach of ranking deaths by the underlying cause listed on death certificates and coded under ICD-10 rules. This is the standard method for national leading-cause mortality reporting. It does not count every medical condition that contributed to death. A person may have diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, or obesity as contributing conditions even when heart disease is selected as the single underlying cause.
The Top 10 table uses 2024 because CDC/NCHS has released a provisional mortality snapshot for that calendar year. The release is not final: it is based on death records received and processed by June 1, 2025, and the report notes that some causes may be affected by reporting lag. For that reason, the article describes the ranking as a latest available provisional snapshot rather than a final 2024 ranking or a 2025 forecast.
Risk-factor indicators come from separate CDC or NCHS products because mortality files do not measure living-population risk directly. Hypertension and obesity estimates use NHANES measured data for August 2021–August 2023. Smoking and coronary heart disease diagnosis figures use NHIS-based FastStats where available. Diabetes uses CDC National Diabetes Statistics Report estimates for diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes. These indicators explain the burden behind cardiovascular mortality, but they are not combined into a prediction model.
Main table: U.S. cardiovascular burden and risk indicators
| Indicator | Latest period | Value | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular disease deaths | 2023 | 919,032 | Broad cardiovascular category reported by CDC; about one in every three deaths. |
| Heart disease deaths | 2024 provisional | 683,037 | Underlying-cause count used in the provisional leading-cause ranking. |
| Coronary heart disease diagnosis among adults | 2024 | 5.0% | Share of adults ever diagnosed with coronary heart disease in CDC/NCHS FastStats. |
| Adult hypertension prevalence | Aug. 2021–Aug. 2023 | 47.7% | Measured high blood pressure or antihypertensive medication use under NHANES definitions. |
| Adult obesity prevalence | Aug. 2021–Aug. 2023 | 40.3% | Measured BMI-based obesity among adults age 20 and older. |
| Total diabetes prevalence | 2023 | 12.0% | Estimated U.S. population share with diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes. |
| Current cigarette smoking among adults | 2024 | 9.9% | Current cigarette smoking among adults age 18 and older from NHIS-based FastStats. |
Source and limitation: indicators combine CDC/NCHS mortality, survey, and disease-statistics releases. Periods differ because official datasets are published on different schedules. The table explains current cardiovascular burden and risk context; it is not a composite ranking.
Insights: what stands out in the latest data
- Heart disease is still first in the official leading-cause structure. The provisional 2024 count is higher than the final 2023 count cited in the NCHS mortality report, while heart disease remains ahead of cancer.
- Stroke appears separately as the fourth leading underlying cause of death. A heart-disease-only framing therefore understates the wider cardiovascular burden faced by public-health systems.
- Hypertension is the most visible risk signal in the latest CDC/NCHS context data. It affects nearly half of U.S. adults, and only about one-fifth of adults with hypertension had it controlled under the August 2021–August 2023 NHANES brief.
- Adult cigarette smoking has fallen to a much lower level than in past decades, but diabetes, obesity, and hypertension remain large enough to keep cardiovascular disease central to U.S. mortality patterns.
- The most useful interpretation is not a single-year alarm but a long-term prevention challenge. The largest gains are likely to come from earlier detection, risk-factor control, and consistent access to primary care.
What this means for readers
For readers, the main takeaway is that cardiovascular disease remains a major national burden, but many of its drivers are measurable and treatable. Blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, tobacco exposure, weight, and physical activity are not abstract public-health terms; they are the everyday factors that shape long-term risk for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, and premature death.
For health systems, insurers, employers, and local governments, the data point toward prevention before hospitalization. Blood-pressure screening, medication adherence, diabetes prevention, smoking cessation, nutrition access, and primary-care follow-up are directly connected to the largest mortality category in the country.
Precise wording also matters for readers. “Heart disease” and “cardiovascular disease” are not interchangeable statistical categories. Heart disease leads the underlying-cause mortality ranking, while cardiovascular disease describes the broader burden that includes stroke and related circulatory conditions.
FAQ: cardiovascular disease and U.S. leading-cause data
Is cardiovascular disease still the leading cause of death in the United States?
In the official CDC/NCHS leading-cause ranking, heart disease remained the number one underlying cause of death in the 2024 provisional mortality snapshot. Broader cardiovascular disease is larger than the heart disease line alone because it also includes stroke and other circulatory conditions.
What is the difference between heart disease and cardiovascular disease?
Heart disease is a narrower cause-of-death category used in leading-cause rankings. Cardiovascular disease is broader and includes heart disease, stroke, and other circulatory conditions. Both terms are valid, but they should not be used as if they measure the same thing.
Are the 2024 mortality numbers final?
No. The Top 10 table uses provisional 2024 data from CDC/NCHS. Provisional figures can change after additional death certificate information, coding updates, and population denominator updates are processed.
Why not call this a 2025 ranking?
The deaths occurred in 2024, and the provisional report was released and processed in 2025. Calling it a 2025 ranking would blur the difference between data year and publication year.
Which risk factor stands out most clearly?
Hypertension stands out because it affects nearly half of U.S. adults and is closely linked to both heart disease and stroke. Obesity, diabetes, smoking, cholesterol, and access to care also shape cardiovascular risk.
Does a lower overall death rate mean heart disease is becoming less important?
Not necessarily. The overall age-adjusted death rate declined in the 2024 provisional report, but heart disease remained first and its provisional count stayed high. Aging and chronic risk factors can keep the burden large even when broader mortality indicators improve.
Sources
- CDC/NCHS Vital Statistics Rapid Release: Provisional U.S. mortality data for 2024 — used for the Top 10 leading underlying causes of death, provisional counts, methodology limits, and 2023–2024 comparison.
- CDC Heart Disease Facts — used for the broader 2023 cardiovascular disease death count and general U.S. heart disease context.
- CDC/NCHS FastStats: Heart Disease — used for coronary heart disease prevalence and current heart disease reference data.
- CDC/NCHS Data Brief: Hypertension Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control Among Adults — used for adult hypertension prevalence and control context.
- CDC/NCHS: Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity Among Adults — used for adult obesity prevalence during August 2021–August 2023.
- CDC/NCHS FastStats: Cigarette Smoking and Electronic Cigarette Use — used for current adult cigarette smoking prevalence in 2024.
- CDC National Diabetes Statistics Report — used for 2023 diabetes prevalence, including diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes estimates.
