List of countries by death rate

With 11.72 million deaths per year, China has the highest number of deaths per year in the world. China is closely followed by India, having 9.72 million deaths per year. Only China and India see more than 25,000 total deaths per day due to their large populations. China and India together account for about 34% of total deaths in the world. More than one million people die per year in ten countries. The Holy See has the lowest number of 13 deaths per year.

With 25.08 yearly deaths per 1000 people, the Holy See has the highest crude mortality rate. Monaco, Saint Helena, the United States Virgin Islands, and Bulgaria complete the top five list. Crude mortality rate refers to the number of deaths over a given period divided by the person-years lived by the population over that period. It is usually expressed in units of deaths per 1,000 individuals per year.

As of 2025, among the top 10 countries having the highest crude death rate, six are located in Europe, two in North America, and one each in Oceania and Africa. Crude death rates of 52 countries are above 10.

Countries with the lowest death rates worldwide are the United Arab Emirates (0.96), Qatar (1.04), Kuwait (1.81), Oman (1.88), and Bahrain (2.22). All top seven countries having the lowest crude death rate are in Asia. Out of 237 countries/territories projected by the UN, death rates of 26 countries are below 5.