Leading causes of death among the white population in the United States 2020-2021

The leading causes of death among the white population of the United States are cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Cardiovascular diseases and cancer accounted for a combined 39 percent of all deaths among this population in 2021. In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death among white people.

Disparities in causes of death

In the United States, there exist disparities in the leading causes of death based on race and ethnicity. For example, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis is the ninth leading cause of death among the white population and the eighth among the Hispanic population but is not among the ten leading causes for Black people. On the other hand, homicide is the seventh leading cause of death among the Black population but is not among the 10 leading causes for whites or Hispanics. However, cardiovascular diseases and cancer by far account for the highest share of deaths for every race and ethnicity.

Diseases of despair among whites

The white population in the United States has some of the highest rates of death from suicide, drug overdose, and alcohol. Together, these three behavior-related conditions are often referred to as diseases of despair. Asians have by far the lowest rates of death due to drug overdose and alcohol as well as slightly lower rates of suicide.