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 measles mortality rate is low—about one to three in 1,000 cases result in death. —Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 20 Feb. 2025

But more recent studies of healing hips suggest that early weight-bearing decreases mortality rates, and doctors have altered their practices. —Lydia Denworth, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2025

Asthma prevalence for Gary adults is among the worst in the U.S., and Lake County is among Indiana counties with the highest cancer mortality rates. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2025

Studies show that 10,000 steps is an arbitrary number — taking as few as 2,517 steps daily was associated with lower mortality rates — but everyone benefits from moving around more. —Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN, 31 Jan. 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