The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released the biggest causes of mortality in 2023.
The report, published by the agency on Aug. 8, was based on death records from the National Vital Statistics System.
A total of 3,090,582 deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2023, a decline of 6.1% compared to 2022, the report stated.
"The overall death rate is decreasing," Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.
"The key change is decreased deaths from COVID as the population builds up more immunity."
COVID was the fourth leading cause of mortality in 2022, linked to 245,614 deaths.
It plummeted to the 10th cause in 2023, with 76,446 deaths.
Death rates were highest among the elderly, males and Black people, Siegel noted.