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
The research showed that taking longer naps — and napping between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. — was associated with a higher mortality rate.
—
Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
However, this cancer is also difficult to treat and has high mortality rates, with fewer than one in five patients surviving five or more years following diagnosis.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2025
Those youths’ mortality rates increased, but by a much smaller amount, in the states with strict laws.
—Tribune News Service, Twin Cities, 21 June 2025
The study also analyzed religious data in conjunction with data on fertility and mortality rates and age distribution to measure demographic changes between 2010 and 2020.
—Fiona André, NPR, 10 June 2025
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Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
However, this cancer is also difficult to treat and has high mortality rates, with fewer than one in five patients surviving five or more years following diagnosis.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2025
Those youths’ mortality rates increased, but by a much smaller amount, in the states with strict laws.
—Tribune News Service, Twin Cities, 21 June 2025
The study also analyzed religious data in conjunction with data on fertility and mortality rates and age distribution to measure demographic changes between 2010 and 2020.
—Fiona André, NPR, 10 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for mortality rate
Cite this Entry
“Mortality rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortality%20rate. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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