death rate

As the coronavirus pandemic drags on, it's now increasingly apparent that 2020 will be remembered for an unusually high death toll -- not just from COVID-19. In the medical field, deaths above what you would normally expect are called "excess deaths."

The U.S. death toll has doubled since May. Some experts predict it could nearly double again before 2020 ends. "We are experiencing a tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering," one researcher says.

Falling birth rates and rising death rates, combined with a significant drop in immigration, have slowed U.S. population growth to its lowest level since 1918.