What are the leading causes of death in Arkansas?
Data updated July 19, 2024
Heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases in 2022. Of the total deaths that year, 17,689, or 47% of the total, were due to one of these three causes. The fourth and fifth most common causes were COVID-19 and accidents.
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In 2022
23%
of deaths were from heart disease
In 2022
18%
of deaths were from cancer
In 2022
6%
of deaths were from chronic lower respiratory diseases
For every 100,000 people living in Arkansas, 285 people died from heart disease and 218 died from cancer in 2022. The top five leading causes of death account for 58% of all deaths in 2022.
The leading causes of death in Arkansas are consistently heart disease and cancer.
2022's top five causes of death per 100,000 people in Arkansas
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The leading causes of death vary among age groups; older people are more likely to die in general, and more likely to succumb to illness than accidents. Accidents include accidental poisonings, or accidental drug overdoses, and motor vehicle accidents.
For people over 45, the leading causes of death were heart disease and cancer. Accidents accounted for 30% of total deaths in people ages 18 to 44. Accidental drug overdoses made up 14% of total deaths in this age group. In children, accidents accounted for 32% of deaths.
The impact of the top causes of death varies across age groups.
Percentage of deaths by cause and age group in 2022 in Arkansas
