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
The new analysis found that the mean fetal mortality rate for 16 Southern states in 2023 was 6.05 fetal deaths at 20 weeks’ gestation or more per 1,000 live births and fetal deaths, compared with a mean fetal mortality rate of 5.25 for all other states.
—
Elizabeth Cohen, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2025
Decrease in childhood mortality While childhood cancer rates have increased, childhood cancer mortality rates have significantly declined over the past decades.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 5 Mar. 2025
The mortality rate for cats infected with bird flu is 67%, according to the University of Maryland's School of Public Health.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025
By the numbers: The maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women rose from 49.5 to 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to 2023 data from the CDC's National Vital Statistics System, the most recent available.
—Kristal Dixon, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
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Elizabeth Cohen, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2025
Decrease in childhood mortality While childhood cancer rates have increased, childhood cancer mortality rates have significantly declined over the past decades.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 5 Mar. 2025
The mortality rate for cats infected with bird flu is 67%, according to the University of Maryland's School of Public Health.
—Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2025
By the numbers: The maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women rose from 49.5 to 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to 2023 data from the CDC's National Vital Statistics System, the most recent available.
—Kristal Dixon, Axios, 11 Feb. 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 13 Mar. 2025.
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