Health Disparities
Jun 18, 2025

Study finds Native American deaths undercounted in official records

June 18, 2025

A new study published in the medical journal JAMA finds that official U.S. death records underestimate mortality and life expectancy gaps for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. According to a summary by the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH), the analysis revealed that death certificates for at least 41 percent of AI/AN individuals misclassified their race, most often as “white,” resulting in a statistical erasure of Indigenous mortality data.

The study showed that AI/AN life expectancy was 6.5 years lower than the national average — 2.9 times the gap reported in official vital statistics. AI/AN mortality rates were 42% higher than the national average, compared to only 5% higher in uncorrected official data. The research highlights the need for accurate data collection and greater investment in AI/AN health, according to study lead author Jacob Bor, an associate professor of global health and epidemiology at BUSPH.

See also: American Indians in North Dakota die 22.5 years younger than white residents.

  1. 1.Life Expectancy of American Indian and Alaska Native Persons and Underreporting of Mortality in Vital Statistics, .
Mortality of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Individuals and the US Total Population 15 Years and Older, 2008-2019
Mortality of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Individuals and the US Total Population 15 Years and Older, 2008-2019 (Photo https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2835392)
Survivorship and Life Expectancy for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Individuals Based on Self-Reported Race and Ethnicity From the Mortality Disparities in American Communities (MDAC) Study vs Death Certificate–Reported Race and Ethnicity From the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WONDER Database, 2008-2019
Survivorship and Life Expectancy for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Individuals Based on Self-Reported Race and Ethnicity From the Mortality Disparities in American Communities (MDAC) Study vs Death Certificate–Reported Race and Ethnicity From the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) WONDER Database, 2008-2019 (Photo https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2835392)
Trends in Life Expectancy at Age 15 Years Among Individuals Self-Identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) Alone, AI/AN Alone or in Combination With Another Race (AI/AN-AiC), and the US Total Population in the Mortality Disparities in American Communities (MDAC) Study
Trends in Life Expectancy at Age 15 Years Among Individuals Self-Identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) Alone, AI/AN Alone or in Combination With Another Race (AI/AN-AiC), and the US Total Population in the Mortality Disparities in American Communities (MDAC) Study (Photo https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2835392)

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