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
Yet the 25 percent death rate at the North’s worst prison, in Elmira, New York, came close to that at Andersonville (29 percent); overall, the mortality rate was 16 percent for Union prisoners and 12 percent for Confederates.
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Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
According to the American Burn Association, there is an almost 18 percent mortality rate for hospital burn patients who require surgery and prolonged ventilation.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent research suggests that taxi drivers (and ambulance drivers) have some of the lowest mortality rates due to Alzheimer’s.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
The United States already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income countries, with deaths disproportionately affecting people of color and rural communities.
—Jesus Ruiz, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mortality rate
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Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
According to the American Burn Association, there is an almost 18 percent mortality rate for hospital burn patients who require surgery and prolonged ventilation.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent research suggests that taxi drivers (and ambulance drivers) have some of the lowest mortality rates due to Alzheimer’s.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
The United States already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income countries, with deaths disproportionately affecting people of color and rural communities.
—Jesus Ruiz, STAT, 27 Jan. 2026
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 14 Feb. 2026.
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