By DiscoverTheOdds.com
Updated April 8, 2016
“How will I die?” Most of us have contemplated this sobering question at one point or another. How can a person even begin to answer such a question?
In truth, no one can know with absolute certainty what his or her cause of death will be, but thanks to existing data, we can get a better idea of which causes of death would be more or less likely. In addition to examining lifestyle, current health status and genetics, it is useful to take a look at the chances of dying of various causes. What are odds of dying of heart disease? What are the odds of dying of cancer? Diabetes? Parkinson’s disease? What are the odds of dying in an accident? Here are the lifetime odds of dying of each of the 15 most common causes of death in the United States. The odds have been calculated based on 2011 U.S. data concerning deaths, death rates, leading causes of death and life expectancy, reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
What are the odds of dying of…?
| Rank | Cause of death | Lifetime Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diseases of the Heart | 1 in 7 |
| 2 | Malignant neoplasms (cancer) | 1 in 7 |
| 3 | Chronic lower respiratory disease | 1 in 28 |
| 4 | Cerebrovascular diseases | 1 in 31 |
| 5 | Accidents (unintentional injuries) | 1 in 32 |
| 6 | Alzheimer’s disease | 1 in 47 |
| 7 | Diabetes mellitus | 1 in 54 |
| 8 | Influenza and pneumonia | 1 in 74 |
| 9 | Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis | 1 in 86 |
| 10 | Intentional self-harm (suicide) | 1 in 103 |
| 11 | Septicemia | 1 in 111 |
| 12 | Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis | 1 in 118 |
| 13 | Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease | 1 in 144 |
| 14 | Parkinson’s disease | 1 in 172 |
| 15 | Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids | 1 in 219 |
