mortality rate

noun

plural mortality rates
: the ratio between deaths and individuals in a specified population and during a particular time period : the incidence of deaths in a given population during a defined time period (such as one year) that is typically expressed per 1000 or 100,000 individuals : death rate
an annual mortality rate of 15 deaths per 1000 people

Note: A crude mortality rate does not distinguish between specific causes of death or groups of individuals and measures the incidence of all deaths in a population during a given time period. More specific mortality rates are based on narrower categories of individuals or causes of death.

an infant mortality rate of 9 deaths per 1000 live births
mortality rates of lung cancer patients
infectious disease mortality rates

Examples of mortality rate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Overall, the cancer mortality rate declined by 34% between 1991 and 2022 in the United States, but incidents rates continue to rise in common cancers like breast, pancreatic, uterine corpus, melanoma, liver and some oral cancers. Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025 The annual report, published Thursday in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, found the cancer mortality rate declined 34% from 1991 to 2022 in the United States. Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 16 Jan. 2025 The drop in the cancer mortality rate is driven largely by declines in the four most common cancers: lung, colorectal, breast and prostate, according to the research. Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 16 Jan. 2025 More cancer cases doesn’t mean more deaths, however: The mortality rate from cancer fell 34% from 1991 to 2022, the report says. Aria Bendix, NBC News, 16 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for mortality rate 

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mortality rate was in 1855

Dictionary Entries Near mortality rate

Cite this Entry

“Mortality rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortality%20rate. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Medical Definition

mortality rate

noun
: the ratio between deaths and individuals in a specified population and during a particular time period : the incidence of deaths in a given population during a defined time period (such as one year) that is typically expressed per 1000 or 100,000 individuals : death rate
an annual mortality rate of 15 deaths per 1000 people

Note: A crude mortality rate does not distinguish between specific causes of death or groups of individuals and measures the incidence of all deaths in a population during a given time period. More specific mortality rates are based on narrower categories of individuals or causes of death.

mortality rates of liver cancer patients
an infant mortality rate of 9 deaths per 1000 live births
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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