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
In 1984, Fraser was the lead researcher on a study that looked at the longevity of Adventists in California and compared them to the mortality rates of Californians overall.
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Sandra Guzmán, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
People who experienced heart attacks caused by stressors like anemia or infection had higher five-year mortality rates, the study found.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Other nontraditional heart attack triggers, like anemia and infection, led to the most deaths and had a five-year mortality rate of 33%, according to the study.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 18 Sep. 2025
It was conducted in an impoverished country in Africa where the mortality rate for children under age 5 is about double the global average, according to data collected by UNICEF.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mortality rate
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Sandra Guzmán, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
People who experienced heart attacks caused by stressors like anemia or infection had higher five-year mortality rates, the study found.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Other nontraditional heart attack triggers, like anemia and infection, led to the most deaths and had a five-year mortality rate of 33%, according to the study.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 18 Sep. 2025
It was conducted in an impoverished country in Africa where the mortality rate for children under age 5 is about double the global average, according to data collected by UNICEF.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 2025.
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