Top 5 Causes of Death in 2020
2020 is definitely a year that will go down in history. From our democracy shake-up to the novel coronavirus sweeping the world, our lives are anything but normal.

US Deaths Top 3 Million
There was an alarming number of deaths recorded in 2020. Some of the data is still not available. But, experts expect the US death toll to be well over 3 million.
What are the top 5 causes of death in 2020? The answer may seem obvious as to what the top causes of death were in 2020. Yet, some of the information may surprise you.
Here are the top 5 causes of death in 2020:
1 – Heart Disease
Heart disease continues as the leading cause of death in the United States every year since 1918. The last decade revealed the disease affects both men and women. It was initially believed to only affect men.
Heart disease kills more than the other four leading causes of death combined:
- cancer
- accidents
- chronic lower respiratory diseases
- diabetes

Heart disease continues to be a top killer of both men and women every year.
2 – Cancer
WebMD revealed 9.5 million people worldwide died from cancer in 2018. 600,000 people in the US died of cancer in 2018. The numbers continue to increase each year. This makes cancer the second leading cause of death. The most deadly cancers in the US are as follows:
- lung
- colorectal
- pancreatic
- breast
- liver
3 – COVID-19
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, COVID-19 beat out common causes of death to reach #3. This disease has taken the world in its grip, killing so many people.
Investigations show COVID death reports did not include excess deaths due to the pandemic. Excess deaths could raise figures by 20-50%.

4 – Accidents
The fourth leading cause of death in 2020 was accidents. This not only covers vehicle accidents but includes any unintentional injury.
5 – Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases
Chronic lower respiratory diseases include chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Each year, CLRD remains a top cause of death.