Death rates for adults 65 and older fell from 2000 through 2019, according to a new report that analyzed death rates among older adults prior to the pandemic.

The National Vital Statistics Report was published on Dec. 15. Data in the report came from the National Center for Health Statistics between 2000 and 2019. Death patterns in older adults haven’t been investigated as much as they have in younger people, the authors noted.

Deaths from cardiovascular disease slipped during the study period, but deaths from alcohol- and drug-related causes rose. Suicide death rates increased from 2006 until 2019.

In people with dementia, there was a rising trend in death rates between 2000 and 2011, though increases after 2011 weren’t statistically significant. Dementia-related death rates were higher for women than men throughout the duration of the study (1.2 times higher in 2000 and 1.3 times higher in 2019). In 2019, dementia-related death rates for white adults were higher than rates for other groups.

Where people lived played a role in death rate fluctuations as well, as death rates were higher in rural areas compared to urban ones.

In 2019, the top six causes of death in people over the age of 65 were chronic diseases. In the future, death rates will take into account those from COVID-19, as it was the third leading cause of death in older adults in 2020 and 2021.

A few other notable statistics from the report:

  • Age-adjusted death rates for people 65 and older decreased from 2000 through 2019. The numbers went from 5,169 in 2000 to 4,073.8 deaths in 2019 (per 100,000 U.S. standard population). 
  • Death rates were lower in 2019 compared to 2000 in men and women over 65 among all race and Hispanic-origin groups. Death rates for Black men were higher compared to other groups during the period, but still declined overall. 
  • Death rates went down in men and women ages 65 to 74. Death rates for Black men and women were higher than rates for other race and Hispanic-origin groups throughout the study period. 
  • In those ages 75 to 84, death rates went down in men during the time studied; in women, the death rates were lower than in men.
  • In those 85 years old and up, death rates in men went down. Rates in women were lower than in men. During the study period, death rates were highest for white men and women compared with other groups.