Hepatitis B Virus ¨C Reduce Deaths

At a glance

  • Goal: Reduce reported rate of hepatitis B-related deaths by 20% or more from 2017–2023.
  • Status for 2023: Has moved away from annual target or has not changed.
CDC 2025 National Viral Hepatitis Progress: reduce hepatitis b deaths

Age-adjusted rate* of hepatitis B-related deaths† and annual targets for the United States by year

Source: National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) data in this report are from the 2018–Present Provisional Multiple Cause of Death Data files in the CDC WONDER online database as of November 16, 2024.1
* Rates are per 100,000 population and age-adjusted to the 2000 US Standard Population.
† Cause of death is defined as the underlying cause of death or one of the multiple causes of death and is based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes B16, B17.0, B18.0, or B18.1.2

Summary of findings

The rate of hepatitis B-related deaths decreased from 2013–2019 (0.53 to 0.42 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively), increased in 2020 (0.45 deaths per 100,000 population), and remained relatively stable from 2021–2023 (0.44 deaths per 100,000 population). The age-adjusted hepatitis B-related death rate during 2023 was 0.44 deaths per 100,000 population, above the annual target rate of 0.37. Although some progress has been made in reducing hepatitis B-related deaths since 2013, continued efforts to increase hepatitis B screening, diagnosis, and access to care and treatment are needed to further reduce hepatitis B-related deaths.

Progress toward 2025 goal

16%

A 16% reduction from the 2023 rate of hepatitis B-related deaths was needed to meet the 2025 goal of 0.37 deaths per 100,000 population.

This reduction can best be achieved by:

  • Building and harnessing partnerships that amplify the use of effective prevention, testing, and treatment strategies in persons and settings with higher rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission.
  • Conducting cost-benefit analyses to inform how payer policies could potentially increase access to hepatitis B services.
  • Developing trainings, technical assistance, and clinical decision support tools for primary care and other health care providers to support and increase implementation of hepatitis B vaccination, screening, testing, and care.
  • Developing public health campaigns that raise awareness about hepatitis B and encourage all persons to be screened and vaccinated.
  • Increasing access to care and appropriate treatment for persons with chronic HBV infection.
  • Promoting and implementing hepatitis B birth dose and childhood and adolescent immunization schedules.
  • Promoting and implementing universal adult hepatitis B vaccination recommendations.
  • Promoting and implementing universal hepatitis B screening for all adults at least once in their life and for every pregnant woman during each pregnancy.
  • Supporting continuing medical education and developing partnerships with service providers to improve confidence and comfort when working with people with HBV infection.
  • Supporting research and development for new and more effective antiviral therapies with the goal of a functional cure for hepatitis B.
  • Using digital technology and telemedicine models to expand access to specialty health care providers.

Technical notes

Data sources: CDC, National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)

Numerator: Number of death records with a report of hepatitis B listed as the underlying or one of the multiple causes of death

Denominator: Total United States Census population

Indicator notes: Death certificates are completed for all deaths registered in the United States.1 Information for death certificates is provided to funeral directors or cremation organizations by attending physicians, medical examiners, and coroners. Death certificates are filed in vital statistics offices within each state and the District of Columbia. Through the NVSS, information from death certificates is compiled by CDC to produce national Multiple Cause of Death data; causes of death are coded in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10).2 National Multiple Cause of Death data from NVSS were obtained and analyzed, and those death records with a report of hepatitis B (ICD-10: B16, B17.0, B18.0, or B18.1) listed as the underlying or one of the multiple (contributing) causes of death in the record were enumerated. Rates were calculated as the number of hepatitis B-related deaths among US residents of the 50 states and District of Columbia divided by the total US Census population using the postcensal estimates of the July 1 resident population. Rates were standardized to the age distribution of the 2000 US Standard Population.3

Goal setting: The 2025 goal of 0.37 hepatitis B-related deaths per 100,000 population is consistent with CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis 2025 Strategic Plan and the . Annual targets assume a constant (linear) rate of change from the observed baseline (2017 data year) to the 2025 goal (2023 data year).

Limitations: Death data must be interpreted with caution due to the potential for misclassification of ICD-10 codes on the death record, underrepresentation of certain racial and/or ethnic populations in US Census data, and underreporting of viral hepatitis as a cause of death on death certificates.4

Print
Content Source:
Division of Viral Hepatitis
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. . Data are compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Accessed November 16, 2024.
  2. World Health Organization. . Geneva: World Health Organization.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Viral Hepatitis Surveillance – United States, 2023. Published April 2025. Accessed [date].
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. . Accessed November 16, 2024.