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

Women who averaged around 4,400 steps had significantly lower mortality rates over four years of follow-up than those who averaged about 2,700 steps. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 7 Aug. 2025

African Americans had four times the mortality rates for heart disease than Asian Americans, twice the rate of Hispanics and one-third higher rate than non-Hispanic whites. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 8 July 2025

From rising mortality rates to an alarming surge in chronic conditions, obesity and mental health struggles, U.S. children are facing a mounting health emergency that experts say demands urgent national attention. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025

Among younger patients, the disparity is even greater with Black women facing nearly double the mortality rate. —Samanta Habashy, IndyStar, 7 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mortality rate

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

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