What are the major causes of death in children aged 0 to 18 years?

Major Cause of Death in Children Aged 0-18 Years

Injury is the number one killer of children ages 1 to 18 years in the United States, accounting for more deaths than all other causes combined. 1

Age-Specific Breakdown

The leading causes of death vary significantly by age within the 0-18 year range:

Infants (Under 1 Year)

• Perinatal conditions dominate, including preterm birth complications (17.7% of under-5 deaths globally), intrapartum-related events (11.6%), and neonatal sepsis/pneumonia 2
• Suffocation deaths increased 20% from 2010-2019 in the United States 3
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) remains a significant contributor 1

Children Ages 1-4 Years

• Lower respiratory infections (13.9% of under-5 deaths) and diarrhea (9.1%) are leading causes globally 2
• In the United States, unintentional injuries become the predominant cause, with motor vehicle crashes, drowning, and poisoning as top mechanisms 3

Children and Adolescents Ages 5-18 Years

• Unintentional injuries are the clear leading cause, with motor vehicle crashes being the single most common mechanism 1, 3, 4
• Suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents 15-19 years, with firearms accounting for 736 deaths (3.4 per 100,000) in 2009 1
• Homicide is the third leading cause, with 84.5% of homicides in 15-19 year-olds being firearm-related 1, 4

United States Specific Data

The three leading causes of death for ages 10-24 years in 2017 were:

1. Unintentional injuries (primarily motor vehicle crashes at 4.0 per 100,000) 3, 4
2. Suicide 1, 4
3. Homicide 1, 4

Motor vehicle accidents alone cause approximately 2,500-fold more deaths than cardiovascular causes in young people 1

Important Disparities

Race and ethnicity matter significantly:

• American Indian/Alaska Native children have the highest unintentional injury death rates (19.4 per 100,000) 3
• Black children have higher rates than White children (12.4 vs 9.0 per 100,000) 3
• Black males aged 15-19 have firearm homicide rates of 49.74 per 100,000, compared to 6.6 for White males 1
• Poisoning deaths increased 37% among Black children and 50% among Hispanic children from 2010-2019 3

Geographic variation is substantial:

• Rural areas have death rates 2.6 times higher than urban areas (17.8 vs 6.8 per 100,000) 3
• Motor vehicle traffic deaths increase with rurality 3

Critical Context

Deaths from injuries account for more years of potential life lost under 18 years than SIDS, cancer, and infectious diseases combined 1. The direct cost of childhood injury exceeds $50 billion annually in the United States 1. Most survivors of serious suicide attempts do not die from renewed attempts, making firearm access particularly lethal given its ~90% mortality rate 1.