The month with the most deaths varies slightly by country and year, but generally, it's a winter month like January, July, or August, due to seasonal illnesses (flu, pneumonia) and cold-related issues, especially affecting the elderly. In the Northern Hemisphere (US/Canada), January and December often see the highest counts, while in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia), it's typically July or August, following their winter.
Read more. On average, January is America's deadliest month, according to our analysis of data on 66.8 million deaths going all the way back to 1999 collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Other lethal months come later in winter — February and March — than Schwede guessed.
For both Canada and the US, the lowest observed average daily mortality occurred in August over the period for which data could be retrieved.
The number one killer in the world is Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), also known as heart disease, which causes about one-third of all global deaths annually, killing millions each year and remaining the leading cause for the past two decades. Diseases like ischaemic heart disease (coronary artery disease) and stroke are major contributors, with COVID-19 temporarily disrupting trends but CVD consistently holding the top spot.
As Christmas approaches, so too does the deadliest day of the year—scientific research finds that Christmas Day is the single deadliest day on the calendar, with New Year's Day a close second. The spike is especially sharp for hospital emergency-department deaths—and for substance abuse (eg alcohol)
The Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania has found that suicide rates are actually lowest from November to January. The most suicidal months of the year occur in the spring: April, May, and June are when suicide rates are highest.
On September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam became the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or missing in just 12 hours of combat.
Taken together, heart diseases and cancers are the cause of every second death. In red are infectious diseases, which are responsible for around 1-in-7 deaths. These include pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. A smaller share – around 4% – was from neonatal and maternal deaths.
Death rate - Country rankings
The average for 2022 based on 196 countries was 8.24 deaths per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 55.13 deaths per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Qatar: 0.93 deaths per 1000 people.
In fact, some experts go further to say that stress is a leading risk factor for heart disease—the biggest killer in the United States—up there with unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, smoking, excessive alcohol use, and obesity.
In the United States in 2021, the death rate was highest among those aged 85 and over, with about 17,190.5 men and 14,914.5 women per 100,000 of the population passing away. For all ages, the death rate was at 1,118.2 per 100,000 of the population for males, and 970.8 per 100,000 of the population for women.
We find a similar relationship between month of birth and lifespan in both of our Northern Hemisphere countries. Adults born in autumn (October–December) live longer than those born in spring (April–June).
February is the least common birth month in the United States, in part because it is the shortest month of the year, with only 28 days or 29 during a leap year.
Months Before Death
During this phase, patients may experience decreased appetite, increased sleepiness, ambivalence toward their surroundings, heightened pain and nausea, and visible weight loss. Emotional changes may lead to increased withdrawal, reduced activity, decreased communication, and introspection.
Other studies and experts have a slightly different take, citing the most common time as 6 a.m.—8 a.m., or even peaking at 11 a.m. But the truth remains that there is a definitive pattern of a high percentage of people passing away in the wee hours of the morning or middle of the night.
Qatar has the absolute lowest death rate in the world, with 1.53 deaths per 1000 people annually. One of the major reasons for its low number of annual deaths is its improved health care system.
The number one killer in the world is Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), also known as heart disease, which causes about one-third of all global deaths annually, killing millions each year and remaining the leading cause for the past two decades. Diseases like ischaemic heart disease (coronary artery disease) and stroke are major contributors, with COVID-19 temporarily disrupting trends but CVD consistently holding the top spot.
KAZAKHSTAN and SIERRA LEONE abolished the death penalty for all crimes. PAPUA NEW GUINEA, the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, and ZAMBIA abolished the death penalty for all crimes. ZIMBABWE abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes.
AIAN and Hispanic people had the highest rates of death, and all groups of color had a higher death rate than White people as of January 2021. Following that surge, death rates fell across all racial and ethnic groups and disparities narrowed by early summer 2021.
Mosquitos are by far the deadliest creature in the world when it comes to annual human deaths, causing around one million deaths per year, compared to 100,000 deaths from snakes and 250 from lions. Perhaps surprising, dogs are the third deadliest animal to humans.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the United States, accounting for 25 percent of all male deaths. Various factors, including smoking, high cholesterol levels and obesity, can cause heart disease.
The Anglo-Zanzibar War is famously known as the shortest war in history, lasting only 38 minutes. It's fascinating how a conflict could resolve so quickly. What were the key events leading up to this war? Why did Britain act so decisively, and how did Zanzibar respond?
The Heaviest Hitters
Perhaps the most common ailments to strike the camping soldier during the Civil War were bowel disorders. The affliction of both diarrhea and dysentery was so widespread that it came to be called “the runs,” as those suffering from it would often be seen rushing to find a latrine trench.