What are the leading causes of death in Rhode Island?
Data updated July 19, 2024
The leading causes of death in Rhode Island in 2022 were heart disease, cancer, and accidents. Of the 5,308 deaths that year, 50% of the total were due to one of these three causes. The fourth and fifth most common causes were COVID-19 and Alzheimer disease.
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In 2022
22%
of deaths were from heart disease
In 2022
20%
of deaths were from cancer
In 2022
8%
of deaths were from accidents
Heart disease and cancer have been the two leading causes of death since 1999. For every 100,000 people living in Rhode Island, 217 people died from heart disease and 191 died from cancer in 2022. COVID-19 became one of the leading causes of death in Rhode Island at the outset of the pandemic, but its rank dropped off significantly. The top five leading causes of death account for 59% of all deaths in 2022.
The leading causes of death in Rhode Island are consistently heart disease and cancer.
2022's top five causes of death per 100,000 people in Rhode Island
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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 are heart disease and cancer. Accidents account for 47% of total deaths in people ages 18 to 44. Accidental drug overdoses make up 38% 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 2022 in Rhode Island
