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Actual Causes of Death, United States, 1990*

This is a bar chart showing the percentages of all deaths in the United States in 1990 that were attributed to various causes. In descending order, these are the approximate percentages:

Tobacco use: 19%
Poor diet/lack of exercise: 14%
Alcohol consumption: 5%
Infectious agents: 4%
Pollutants/toxins: 3%
Firearms: 2%
Sexual behavior: 1%
Motor vehicles: 1%
Illicit drug use: 1%

*The percentages used in this figure are composite approximations derived from published scientific studies that attributed deaths to these causes. Source: McGinnis JM, Foege WH. Actual causes of death in the United States. JAMA 1993;270:2207–12.

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This page last reviewed August 10, 2004

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion