What are the leading causes of death in Arkansas?
Refreshed annually
The leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases in 2024. Of the 35,976 deaths that year, 17,482, or 49% of the total, were due to one of these three causes. The fourth, fifth, and sixth most common causes were cerebrovascular diseases, accidents, and Alzheimer's disease.
In 2024
24%
of deaths were from heart disease
In 2024
18%
of deaths were from cancer
In 2024
7%
of deaths were from chronic lower respiratory diseases
How have the leading causes of death changed over time?
Here's how death rates changed from 1999 to 2024:
- Heart disease decreased by 12%
- Cancer decreased by 8%
- Accidents increased by 21%
- Cerebrovascular disease decreased by 25%
- Chronic respiratory illness increased by 49%
Cancer and heart disease are consistently the leading causes of death.
Top five causes of death in 2024, death rate per 100,000 people (1999–2024)
What are accidental deaths? What is the most common type?
Accidents were the fifth leading cause of death in 2024. “Accidents” includes an array of subcategories according to whether they are transit or non-transit accidents. In 2024, motor vehicle accidents were the most common accidents, followed by accidental poisoning, mainly accidental drug overdoses and other nontransport accidents. Changes over time may be due to safety improvements, changing demographics, and other social and economic factors.
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Motor vehicle accidents accounted for 35.4% of accidental deaths in 2024.
Accidents by type, death rate per 100,000 people (1999–2024)
In 2024, 35.4% of accidental deaths were from motor vehicle accidents. This is up from 50.4% in 1999.
How do the leading causes of death vary by age group?
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. Accidents make up a larger share of the deaths of under-45s, accounting for 26% of total deaths in people ages 18 to 44. Accidental drug overdoses made up 10% of total deaths in this age group.
The impact of the top causes of death varies across age groups.
Percentage of deaths by cause and age group in 2024
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
