The American Heart Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update reports a decline in total deaths from cardiovascular diseases, yet these conditions continue to claim more lives annually than any other cause in the United States. According to data published in Circulation, the Association's flagship journal, heart disease and stroke together accounted for more than a quarter of all U.S. deaths in 2023, with heart disease responsible for 22% and stroke for 5.3% of fatalities. This positions heart disease as the leading cause of death for over a century and stroke as the fourth leading cause, replacing COVID-19 in that ranking.
In 2023, there were 915,973 total deaths from cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and heart failure, down from 941,652 in 2022. The age-adjusted death rate for cardiovascular disease decreased to 218.3 per 100,000 people from 224.3 per 100,000. On average, someone died of cardiovascular disease every 34 seconds in 2023. Coronary heart disease, the most common form, caused 349,470 deaths, while stroke was responsible for 162,639 deaths, translating to approximately two heart disease deaths every three minutes and one stroke death every three minutes and 14 seconds.
Despite the overall decline, the report highlights persistent and emerging concerns. Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association, noted that while the past five years showed an anomaly due to the pandemic, heart disease and stroke still kill more people than all types of cancer and accidents combined. Alarmingly, stroke death rates increased by 8.3% among people aged 25 to 34 and by 18.2% among those over 85 between 2013 and 2023. Latha P. Palaniappan, M.D., M.S., FAHA, volunteer chair of the statistics update writing committee, emphasized that about half of U.S. adults have some form of cardiovascular disease, with rates higher than pre-pandemic levels due to increases in high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.
The report introduces a new focus on cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, a health disorder linking heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and obesity. Data shows nearly 90% of U.S. adults have some level of CKM syndrome, and over 80% of young and middle-aged adults exhibit early CKM risk. Sadiya S. Khan, M.D., M.Sc., FAHA, volunteer vice-chair of the writing group, warned that these numbers should ring alarm bells, particularly for young adults, as projections indicate increases in these conditions in coming decades. However, she highlighted advances in diagnostic and therapeutic tools that offer hope for prevention.
Prevention remains a key theme, with the report underscoring the importance of the American Heart Association's Life’s Essential 8™ healthy lifestyle guidance. This framework includes four health behaviors—eat better, be more active, quit tobacco, and get healthy sleep—and four health factors—manage weight, control cholesterol, manage blood sugar, and manage blood pressure. Studies cited in the update show that ideal cardiovascular health as measured by Life’s Essential 8 is associated with a 74% lower risk of cardiovascular events and could prevent up to 40% of annual all-cause and cardiovascular deaths in the U.S. Better cardiovascular health also correlates with improved brain health, including reduced dementia risk.
However, adherence to these measures remains low. Diet scores are the poorest among adults and youth, only 25.3% of adults meet physical activity guidelines, and e-cigarette use is prevalent among youths, with 18.1% of high school students reporting use. Additionally, less than half of adults treated for Type 2 diabetes have their condition under control. Rosen stressed that up to 80% of heart disease and stroke is preventable with lifestyle changes, urging communities and individuals to take action. The annual statistics update, produced since 1927, serves as a critical resource for shaping awareness and policy, with the Association continuing to fund research and advocate for public health. For more detailed statistics, fact sheets on specific populations are available at heart.org/statistics.
