Statistics - Top 10 Causes

Leading Causes of Death - Female

Leading causes of death in the United States - famales

The 10 leading causes of death accounted for about 79 percent of deaths among females occurring in the United States in 2002.  The top two causes, Diseases of heart (heart disease) and Malignant neoplasms (cancer), accounted for about half (50.2 percent) of all deaths among females in 2002. 

Top 10 Causes of Death - Female

1. Disease of Heart 28.6% [1st for males]
2. Malignant Neoplasms (cancer) 21.6% [2nd for males]
3. Cerebrovascular Diseases 8.0% [4th for males]
4. Chronic Lower. Respiratory Diseases 5.2% [5th for males]
5. Alzheimer's Disease 3.4% [11th for males]
6. Diabetes Mellitus 3.1% [6th for males]
7. Accidents 3.0% [3rd for males]
   • Motor Vehicle Traffic Accidents (38% of all accidents)
   • Fall (21% of all accidents)
   • Poisoning (15% of all accidents)
8. Influenza and Pneumonia 3.0% [7th for males]
9. Nephritis, Nephrotic Syndrome and Nephrosis (kidney diseases) 1.7% [9th for males]
10. Septicemia (blood poisoning) 1.5% [12th for males]

All Others 20.9%

Mortality - male vs female

The top two causes for males and females—heart disease and cancer—are the same. Accidents was third for males and seventh for females. Stroke, Chronic lower respiratory diseases, Diabetes mellitus, and Influenza and pneumonia, which ranked fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively, for males, ranked third, fourth, sixth, and eighth for females. Suicide and Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis were ranked 8th and 10th, respectively, for males, but were not ranked among the 10 leading causes for females. Kidney disease ranked ninth for both males and females. Alzheimer ’s disease and Septicemia, ranked 5th and 10th, respectively, for females, were not ranked among the top 10 for males.

Data Source: National Center for Health Statistics
National Vital Statistics Reports March 7, 2005

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