Monthly Vital Statistics Reports

Advance Report of Final Mortality Statistics, 1992

A record 2,175,613 deaths were registered in the United States in 1992, according to a report released by the National Center for Health Statistics. The report, Advance Report of Final Mortality Statistics, 1992, presents detailed analyses of causes of death, life expectancy, infant mortality, and maternal mortality. The report also discusses many other areas of mortality. The data in this report are based on information from all death certificates filed in the 50 States and the District of Columbia.

Data Highlights:

• Death rates declined for most age groups in 1992, except for the 35-44 year age group. Increased death rates for this age group were mainly attributable to deaths from HIV infection, which killed 33,566 Americans in 1992.
• Life expectancy in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 1992 of 75.8 years.
• Infant mortality fell to an all-time low of 8.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 1992. The rate for black infants was 2.4 times the rate for white infants.
• The number of homicide deaths declined in 1992 to 25,488, down from 26,513 in 1991.
• The number of firearm deaths also declined, from 38,317 in 1991 to 37,776 in 1992.