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 2021 by age, through age 99. Additional years of data are also available (see Using the Charts and Tables).
- Chart
- Data Table
The Six Leading Causes of Death
caused by unintentional injury in 2021
#1: Poisoning: 102,001 deaths
- Average of 30.7 deaths per 100,000 population
- Rate increased steadily from about age 15 to its peak of 62.6 at age 39
- Leading cause of preventable death for all ages combined for the ninth consecutive year
- Leading cause of preventable death for every age from 22 to 68
- Largely due to the opioid epidemic affecting millions of people in the United States
- On an average day, 208 people die from preventable poisonings due to opioid drugs
#2: Motor-vehicle crashes: 46,980 deaths
- Average rate of 14.2 deaths per 100,000 population
- Death rate peaks at 21.9 for 23-year-olds and again at 26.7 for 85- and 86-year-olds
- Leading cause of preventable death for every age from 4 to 21
- Second leading cause of preventable death for every age from 22 to 67
#3: Falls: 44,686 deaths
- Average rate of 13.5 deaths per 100,000 population
- Beginning at about age 67, the death rate from falls increased dramatically
- Surpassing the number of motor-vehicle and poisoning deaths at age 69 and remained higher throughout the lifespan, peaking at age 90
- Death rate peaked at age 99, with a rate of 736.0 per 100,000 population
#4: Choking: 5,325 deaths
- 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 71
#5: Drowning: 4,337 deaths
- Average rate of 1.3 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 from age 1 through 3
#6: Fire, Flames, or Smoke: 3,389 deaths
- Average rate of 1.0 death per 100,000 population
- Slightly elevated at very young ages; death rate peaked at age 95, with a rate of 8.2 per 100,000 population
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 from 1 to 3 years of age, closely followed by motor-vehicle.