CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Your Online Source for Credible Health information Deaths and mortality (Data are for the U.s.) Number of deaths: 2, 423,712 Death rate: 803. 6 deaths per 100, 000 population Life expectancy: 77.9 years Infant Mortality rate: 6.75 deaths per 1, 000 live births Number of deaths for leading causes of death Heart disease: 616,067 cancer Stroke(cerebrovascular diseases): 135,952 Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 127,924 Accidents(unintentional injuries ) 123.706 Alzheimer's disease: 74, 632 Diabetes: 71,382 Influenza and Pneumonia: 52,717 Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 46, 448 Septicemia: 34, 828 Source: Deaths: Final Data for 2007. tables BD.7.30 (NCHS/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58 10pdf