What are the leading causes of death in South Carolina?
Data updated July 19, 2024
Heart disease, cancer, and accidents were the leading causes of death in South Carolina in 2022. Of the total deaths that year, 27,880, or 46% of the total, were due to one of these three causes. The fourth and fifth most common causes were COVID-19 and cerebrovascular diseases.
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In 2022
20%
of deaths were from heart disease
In 2022
18%
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 South Carolina, 228 people died from heart disease and 209 died from cancer in 2022. COVID-19 became one of the leading causes of death in South Carolina at the outset of the pandemic, but its rank dropped off in subsequent years. The top five leading causes of death account for 56% of all deaths in 2022.
The leading causes of death in South Carolina are consistently heart disease and cancer.
2022's top five causes of death per 100,000 people in South Carolina
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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 make up a larger share of the deaths of people under 45, accounting for 43% of total deaths in people ages 18 to 44. Accidental drug overdoses make up 27% of total deaths in this age group. In children ages 1 to 17, accidents account 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 South Carolina
