Leading
Causes of Death
in Males
United States, 2002
Below are the leading causes of death in males for 2002.
All Males by
Age Group- United States, 2002 
| All Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 28.4 |
| 2) Cancer | 24.1 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 5.8 |
| 4) Stroke | 5.2 |
| 5) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 5.1 |
| 6) Diabetes | 2.9 |
| 7) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.4 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.1 |
| 9) Kidney disease | 1.6 |
| 10) Chronic liver disease | 1.5 |
White Males by Age Group- United
States, 2002
| White Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 29.0 |
| 2) Cancer | 24.4 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 5.7 |
| 4) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 5.4 |
| 5) Stroke | 5.2 |
| 6) Diabetes | 2.7 |
| 7) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.5 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.2 |
| 9) Alzheimer's disease | 1.5 |
| 10) Kidney disease | 1.5 |
Black Males by Age Group- United
States, 2002
| Black Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 25.3 |
| 2) Cancer | 22.2 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 5.9 |
| 4) Stroke | 5.3 |
| 5) Homicide | 4.7 |
| 6) HIV disease | 3.6 |
| 7) Diabetes | 3.5 |
| 8) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 3.0 |
| 9) Kidney disease | 2.3 |
| 10) Influenza and pneumonia | 1.9 |
American Indian/Alaska Native Males
by Age Group- United States, 2002
| American Indian or Alaska Native Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 20.9 |
| 2) Cancer | 16.0 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 14.9 |
| 4) Diabetes | 5.0 |
| 5) Chronic liver disease | 4.7 |
| 6) Suicide | 3.8 |
| 7) Stroke | 3.5 |
| 8) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 3.3 |
| 9) Homicide | 2.7 |
| 10) Influenza and pneumonia | 2.0 |
Asian/Pacific Islander Males by Age
Group- United States, 2002
| Asian or Pacific Islander Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 27.0 |
| 2) Cancer | 25.4 |
| 3) Stroke | 7.8 |
| 4) Unintentional injuries | 5.7 |
| 5) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 3.6 |
| 6) Diabetes | 3.2 |
| 7) Influenza and pneumonia | 3.1 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.3 |
| 9) Kidney disease | 1.6 |
| 10) Homicide | 1.4 |
Hispanic Males by Age Group- United
States, 2002
| Hispanic Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart Disease | 22.5 |
| 2) Cancer | 18.6 |
| 3) Unintentional injuries | 11.7 |
| 4) Stroke | 4.6 |
| 5) Diabetes | 4.2 |
| 6) Homicide | 4.0 |
| 7) Chronic liver disease | 3.7 |
| 8) Suicide | 2.5 |
| 9) Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 2.5 |
| 10) HIV disease | 2.2 |
*Percent of total deaths in the race category due to the disease indicated. The white, black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian or Pacific Islander race groups include persons of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
Short and Full Terms
Some terms in the leading causes of death tables have been shortened from those used in the National Vital Statistics Report. Below is a listing of the shortened terms used in the tables and their full, unabridged equivalents used in the report.
| SHORT TERMS | FULL TERMS |
| Cancer | Malignant neoplasms |
| Chronic liver disease | Chronic liver disease and cirrhosiss |
| Diabetes | Diabetes mellitus |
| Heart disease | Diseases of heart |
| HIV disease | Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease |
| Homicide | Assault (homicide) |
| Kidney disease | Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis |
| Stroke | Cerebrovascular diseases |
| Suicide | Intentional self-harm |
| Unintentional injuries | Accidents (unintentional injuries) |
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Page last modified: May 17, 2007
Page last reviewed: April 30, 2007