Decline in Heart Disease Death Rates
Diseases of the heart
death rates per 100,000 experienced a significant decrease from
1706.6 in 2000 to
1020.9 in 2019, showing an overall reduction of approximately
40% over 19 years.
Trend in Cancer Death Rates
Malignant neoplasms death rates per 100,000 saw a less pronounced decrease, from
1123.6 in 2000 to
833.5 in 2019, representing a decline of about
26%.
Comparative Rate of Decline
The rate of decline in death rates for diseases of the heart outpaced that of
malignant neoplasms between 2000 and 2019, with heart
disease rates dropping by
40% compared to
cancer's
26%.
Yearly Variation in Death Rates
Year-to-year changes in death rates for both conditions show variability, but with a general downward trend. The largest single-year decrease in heart disease rates occurred between 2003 and 2004, with a decline of
101.1 per 100,000, while for cancer, the largest single-year drop was between 2008 and 2009, reducing by
20 per 100,000.
Recent Trends
In the most recent years, 2018 to 2019, heart disease death rates per 100,000 decreased from
1034.6 to
1020.9, and cancer death rates per 100,000 from
849.2 to
833.5, indicating ongoing but slowing declines.
Comparison of Top Two Causes of Death
Throughout the two decades, diseases of the heart consistently remained the leading cause of death over malignant neoplasms, with the gap between the two narrowing from
583 deaths per 100,000 in 2000 to
187.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2019.