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

Bald eagles can live up to 30 years in the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but chicks can have high mortality rates due to issues with humans, food scarcity or disease. —Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024

The case has since grown into a class-action lawsuit that affects all prior, current and future men and women in San Diego County jails, a system that has one of the highest mortality rates in California. —Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024

However, the mortality rate can be as high as 13% in untreated patients. —Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 27 Mar. 2024

For example, academic research on nursing homes from 2021 showed 10% higher mortality rates at facilities owned by private-equity firms. —Gretchen Morgenson, NBC News, 14 Mar. 2024

According to a 2022 state audit, 185 people died in San Diego County jails between 2006 and 2020, giving the system one of the highest mortality rates in the state. —Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024

Many of the countries impacted by this report also have high maternal mortality rates, making access to reproductive services particularly crucial. —Vittoria Elliott, WIRED, 27 Mar. 2024

As such, the activist physician has dedicated much of her life toward addressing critical issues impacting the Black community, such as increasing access to healthcare, reducing maternal mortality rates, and combatting residual structural hurdles from discriminatory practices like red lining. —Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 26 Mar. 2024

In 2006, the clinics first addressed the high mortality rates of truckers during the AIDS epidemic. —Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

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