In 2021, COVID-19 was the leading cause of death for 45- to 54-year-olds, with 16.8 percent of deaths being attributed to the disease, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine on July 5 found. In 2020, COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death, following heart disease, cancer and accidents.
Three more notes:
- From March 2020 to October 2021, the leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer, COVID-19, accidents and stroke. There were 2.875 million deaths from March to December 2020 and 2.855 million deaths from January to October 2021.
- The three leading causes of death in 2020 and 2021 for adults 55 and older were cancer, heart disease and COVID-19. For people 85 and older, COVID-19 was the second leading cause of death in 2020 and third in 2021.
- In 2020 and 2021, accidents were the leading cause of death for all age groups from 1 to 44 years old. For those aged 35-44, COVID-19 increased from the fifth leading cause of death in 2020 to the second in 2021. It also became the fourth leading cause of death for 25- to 34-year-olds and 15- to 24-year-olds in 2021.