United States: health and care

How many Americans do not have health insurance?

26.7 million people, or 7.9% of the population, had no health insurance for all of 2025, not statistically different from 2024, according to the Census Bureau report Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2025, published on 15 September 2026. Employment-based insurance covered 53.5% of people for some or all of the year, Medicare 20.1% and Medicaid 17.1%.

The estimates come from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, and count people uninsured for the whole calendar year. The American Community Survey and the CDC's National Health Interview Survey measure coverage at the time of interview, so they give somewhat different rates. State-level uninsured rates are published from the American Community Survey.

Official sources: Census Bureau: Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2025

How much does the US spend on health care?

US health care spending grew 7.2% in 2024 to $5.3 trillion, or $15,474 per person, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services National Health Expenditure Accounts. Health spending was 18.0% of gross domestic product.

The accounts cover spending on hospital care, physician and clinical services, prescription drugs, nursing homes, public health, research and insurance administration, from all payers: households, private insurers, employers and government. CMS publishes the historical accounts about a year after the end of the year, and separate projections ten years ahead. Detailed tables by service and payer are downloadable from the same page.

Official sources: CMS: National Health Expenditure Data, Historical

What are the leading causes of death in the US?

Heart disease was the leading cause of death in the United States in 2024, with 683,491 deaths, followed by cancer (619,876) and accidents or unintentional injuries (197,449), according to CDC National Center for Health Statistics FastStats. Stroke (166,852), chronic lower respiratory diseases (145,643), Alzheimer's disease (116,022) and diabetes (94,445) came next.

The ranking uses final death certificate data and the underlying cause of death as coded by the World Health Organization's ICD-10 rules. Unintentional injuries include drug overdoses, road deaths and falls. The source is the NCHS data brief Mortality in the United States, 2024, which also gives age-adjusted death rates for comparing years.

Official sources: CDC FastStats: Leading Causes of Death · NCHS Data Brief: Mortality in the United States, 2024

How many people die from drug overdoses in the US?

There were 79,384 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2024, a rate of 23.3 per 100,000 people, according to CDC National Center for Health Statistics FastStats, using final mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System.

The final figures count deaths by state of residence and include all intents (accidental, suicide, homicide and undetermined). More recent months are available as provisional counts in the NCHS Vital Statistics Rapid Release dashboard, which predicts the final figure to allow for death certificates still pending investigation. Provisional counts cover 12-month periods and are updated monthly, so they are not directly comparable with final annual totals.

Official sources: CDC FastStats: Drug Overdoses · NCHS: Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts

What percentage of Americans are obese?

40.3% of US adults aged 20 and over had obesity in August 2021 to August 2023, according to CDC National Center for Health Statistics FastStats, citing the data brief Obesity and Severe Obesity Prevalence in Adults.

The figure comes from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which measures height and weight directly rather than asking people, so it is higher than self-reported surveys. Obesity means a body mass index of 30 or more. The survey runs in two-year cycles and results take time to publish, which is why the latest figure covers 2021 to 2023. State figures from the CDC's telephone survey are self-reported and not directly comparable.

Official sources: CDC FastStats: Obesity and Overweight · NCHS Data Brief 508

What is the average life expectancy in the United States?

78.9 years: that is life expectancy at birth in the United States for 2024, according to the UN Population Division. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. World rank, highest first: 47th of 193.

How many babies die in the United States?

According to the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, the infant mortality rate in the United States was 5.5 per 1,000 in 2024. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Of 192 countries with 2024 data, 140th highest.

How many women die in childbirth in the United States?

17.0 per 100,000: that is the maternal mortality ratio in the United States for 2023, according to the WHO. Since 2005 it has ranged from 13.0 per 100,000 (2005) to 31.0 per 100,000 (2021). Of 192 countries with 2023 data, 128th highest.

How much does the United States spend on health?

In 2023, current health spending in the United States was 16.7% of GDP, according to the WHO. Its high point since 2005 was 2020, at 18.5% of GDP; its low point was 2005, at 14.6% of GDP. Worldwide: 3rd of 191.

What is out-of-pocket health spending in the United States?

In 2023, out-of-pocket health spending in the United States was 10.9%, according to the WHO. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 13.9%; its low point was 2020, at 10.1%. World rank, highest first: 163rd of 191.

How many doctors does the United States have?

The WHO puts the number of doctors per 1,000 people in the United States at 3.7 per 1,000 in 2022. In 2004 the figure was 2.7 per 1,000. Of 125 countries with 2022 data, 31st highest.

How many hospital beds per person does the United States have?

The WHO puts hospital beds per 1,000 people in the United States at 2.7 per 1,000 in 2022. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Of 110 countries with 2022 data, 58th highest.

What is measles vaccine coverage in the United States?

92.0%: that is measles vaccination among children aged 12 to 23 months in the United States for 2024, according to WHO and UNICEF. No year since 2005 has been higher. Of 191 countries with 2024 data, 84th highest.