The graph below depicts U.S. deaths and death rates per 100,000 population for the six leading causes of unintentional injury-related deaths in 2018 by age, through age 99. Additional years of data are also available (see Using the Charts and Tables).
- Chart
- Data Table
CAUSES BY RANK
#1: Poisoning
- Average of 19.9 deaths per 100,000 population
- Rate increased steadily from about age 15 to its peak of 41.8 at age 36
- Leading cause of preventable death for all ages, combined, for the sixth consecutive year
- Leading cause of preventable death for every age from 23 to 64
- Largely due to the opioid epidemic affecting millions of people in the United States
- Every day, 118 people die from preventable poisonings due to opioid drugs
- Average rate of 12.4 deaths per 100,000 population
- Peaked among persons age 18-25; high of 21.0 at age 21
- Higher secondary peak for older drivers: 26.4 at age 86, followed by 25.4 at age 90, and 24.6 at age 92
#3: Falls
- Average rate of 11.2 deaths per 100,000 population
- Beginning at about age 67, the death rate from falls increased dramatically
- Surpassed motor-vehicle fatality rate for the first time at age 68 and remained higher throughout the lifespan, rising steeply with increasing age
- Peaked at age 99, with a rate of 614.8 per 100,000 population
#4: Choking
- Average rate of 1.6 deaths per 100,000 population
- Death rates due to choking on inhaled or ingested food or other objects were quite low for most ages
- Rates rose rapidly beginning at about age 79
#5: Drowning
- Average rate of 1.1 deaths per 100,000 population
- While relatively stable and low for all ages, the death rates for drowning showed peaks in the first few years of life and again at some very old ages
- Leading cause of preventable death for 2-year-olds
- Average rate of 0.9 deaths per 100,000 population
- Slightly elevated at very young ages; climbing at about age 75
Among infants younger than 1, mechanical suffocation was the leading cause of preventable-injury death, followed by motor-vehicle incidents. Drowning deaths were the leading cause of death among 1-year-olds, closely followed by motor-vehicle. For 2-year-olds the same was true, with drowning the leading cause of death, followed by motor-vehicle fatalities.