--- title: American Death Rate Increases for First Time in 10 Years description: The American death rate increased for the first time in 10 years in 2015, ticking up from 723.2 deaths per 100,000 people to 729.5 canonical: https://time.com/4353387/american-death-rate-increase/ author: Sarah Begley article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-01T13:14:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:25:50.923Z article:section: Health og:title: American Death Rate Ticks Up for First Time in 10 Years og:description: Alzheimer's, suicide and drug overdoses may have contributed to the rise og:url: https://time.com/4353387/american-death-rate-increase/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt867f78f211712669/698895c10a4a2286399c9e47/death-rate-rising.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Grave site of novelist E. D. E. N. Southworth og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: American Death Rate Ticks Up for First Time in 10 Years twitter:description: Alzheimer's, suicide and drug overdoses may have contributed to the rise twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt867f78f211712669/698895c10a4a2286399c9e47/death-rate-rising.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # American Death Rate Ticks Up for First Time in 10 Years > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=6f76bd3e-f15f-4c22-b9b7-4cb1ed906500&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: American Death Rate On The Rise [Watch (HLS stream): American Death Rate On The Rise](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YAJ66C12.m3u8) (0:37)  _Published 2016-06-01. Research from the National Center For Health Statistics shows that the American death rate in 2015 has increased for the first time in ten years._ by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Jun 1, 2016 1:14 PM UTC by [Sarah Begley](https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Jun 1, 2016 1:14 PM UTC The [American death rate](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/health/american-death-rate-rises-for-first-time-in-a-decade.html) increased for the first time in 10 years in 2015, ticking up from 723.2 deaths per 100,000 people to 729.5. The last time the[ death rate](http://labs.time.com/story/how-race-influences-why-people-die-in-america/?iid=sr-link1) increased was in 2005, amid a brutal flu season. The data from the National Center for Health Statistics surprised experts, the New York _Times_ reports, as it is rare to see a national increase. Preliminary analysis indicates that heightened rates of Alzheimer’s,[ suicide and drug overdoses](http://time.com/4097521/middle-aged-white-americans-death-rate/?iid=sr-link4) could have driven the increase, as well as a relatively flat rate of heart disease (which has declined every year since 1993). Robert Anderson, the chief of mortality statistics at the National Center for Health Statistics, told the _Times_ the numbers were significant, but added, “The question is, what does it mean? We really need more data to know. If we start looking at 2016 and we see another rise, we’ll be a lot more concerned.” \[[_NYT_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/health/american-death-rate-rises-for-first-time-in-a-decade.html)\] ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4353387/american-death-rate-increase/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4353387/american-death-rate-increase/"},"headline":"American Death Rate Ticks Up for First Time in 10 Years","datePublished":"2016-06-01T13:14:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-06T09:25:50.923Z","description":"Alzheimer's, suicide and drug overdoses may have contributed to the rise","url":"https://time.com/4353387/american-death-rate-increase/","keywords":["Disease"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt867f78f211712669/698895c10a4a2286399c9e47/death-rate-rising.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt867f78f211712669/698895c10a4a2286399c9e47/death-rate-rising.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Grave site of novelist E. 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