Heart disease killed 683,491 people in the US in 2024, about 22.2% of all deaths, and it remains the leading cause. Worldwide, the WHO estimates 19.8 million cardiovascular deaths in 2022. Pick an age, sex or country below for that group’s figure. Every table has a permanent link and a CSV.
US deaths, 2024
683,491
Age-adjusted rate
157.6per 100,000
Share of US deaths
22.2%
World CVD deaths, 2022
19.8M
US leading causes of death, 2024
Deaths and age-adjusted death rate per 100,000. Source: NCHS Data Brief No. 548, published January 2026.
| Cause | Deaths 2024 | Rate 2024 | Rate 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heart disease | 683,491 | 157.6 | 162.1 |
| Cancer | 619,876 | 139.4 | 141.8 |
| Unintentional injuries | 197,449 | 53.3 | 62.3 |
| Stroke | 166,852 | 38.6 | 39 |
| Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 145,643 | 32.4 | 33.4 |
| Alzheimer disease | 116,022 | 27.1 | 27.7 |
| Diabetes | 94,445 | 21.7 | 22.4 |
| Kidney disease | 55,081 | 12.6 | 13.1 |
| Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis | 52,274 | 12.7 | 13 |
| Suicide | 48,824 | 13.7 | 14.1 |
By age and sex in the US
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Share of deaths from heart disease, 2019
US heart disease deaths in 2019, the last full year before COVID-19 in this dataset. Source: NCHS. Small counts may be suppressed, so totals fall slightly short of the published 659,041.
| Age | Men | Women | Share of deaths at this age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 219 | 182 | 2% |
| 5–14 | 86 | 92 | 3% |
| 15–24 | 526 | 346 | 3% |
| 25–34 | 2,328 | 1,167 | 6% |
| 35–44 | 7,190 | 3,309 | 13% |
| 45–54 | 21,997 | 9,141 | 19% |
| 55–64 | 55,906 | 24,931 | 22% |
| 65–74 | 78,970 | 43,451 | 22% |
| 75–84 | 88,262 | 70,025 | 23% |
| 85+ | 102,245 | 148,630 | 29% |
Age-adjusted rate in 2019: men 204.8, women 126.2 per 100,000. Men outnumber women at every adult age until 85 and older, where more women are alive to be counted.
Worldwide
- 19.8 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2022, about 32% of all deaths.
- 85% of those deaths were from heart attack and stroke.
- More than three quarters happen in low- and middle-income countries.
Source: WHO fact sheet, July 2025.
Heart attack statistics
- 919,032 people died from cardiovascular disease in 2023, which the CDC puts at 1 in every 3 deaths.
- Coronary artery disease alone killed 371,506 in 2022.
- About 805,000 Americans have a heart attack each year: 605,000 first attacks and 200,000 repeat attacks.
Source: CDC. This wider group includes stroke, so these numbers don’t match the table above.
By country
Pick a country
Ischemic heart disease deaths per 100,000
Japan, 2021: 29.8 deaths per 100,000. United States 2022: 111.9.
Age-standardised deaths per 100,000, latest year available in the OECD data, lowest first. Years differ, so compare with care. These rates use the OECD standard population and ischemic heart disease only, so they don’t match NCHS rates.
| Country | Year | Ischemic heart disease | All circulatory | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 2022 | 27.8 | 133.6 | 19.4 | 38.5 |
| Japan | 2021 | 29.8 | 144.1 | 17.5 | 45 |
| France | 2022 | 34 | 145.1 | 19.9 | 53.1 |
| Netherlands | 2023 | 38.2 | 177.5 | 25.6 | 53.7 |
| Luxembourg | 2023 | 39.1 | 169.7 | 24.5 | 56.8 |
| Spain | 2023 | 42.9 | 170.6 | 24.8 | 65.8 |
| Portugal | 2022 | 45.4 | 197.4 | 28.5 | 66.7 |
| Denmark | 2022 | 46.8 | 172.8 | 30.7 | 67 |
| Israel | 2022 | 49.4 | 149.8 | 34.5 | 68.7 |
| Switzerland | 2023 | 55.2 | 174.8 | 37.7 | 78.3 |
| South Africa | 2018 | 57 | 360 | 42.3 | 80.1 |
| Chile | 2022 | 59 | 213.6 | 40.5 | 80 |
| Italy | 2022 | 59.7 | 219.3 | 42.1 | 82.6 |
| Australia | 2023 | 62 | 155.6 | 42.2 | 85 |
| Belgium | 2022 | 66.9 | 206.9 | 42.4 | 97.3 |
| Sweden | 2023 | 67.1 | 203.1 | 45.1 | 93.7 |
| Slovenia | 2023 | 72.5 | 286.7 | 47.6 | 105.9 |
| Argentina | 2022 | 75.6 | 342 | 54.1 | 104.2 |
| Canada | 2022 | 79.5 | 176.3 | 54 | 110.1 |
| Greece | 2022 | 84 | 264.5 | 54.2 | 120.4 |
| United Kingdom | 2021 | 84.9 | 196.9 | 51.8 | 124.9 |
| Norway | 2022 | 85.5 | 202.9 | 56 | 119.8 |
| Peru | 2022 | 90.6 | 181.4 | 79.2 | 103.3 |
| Iceland | 2022 | 91.4 | 214.5 | 64.3 | 122.5 |
| Costa Rica | 2022 | 92.4 | 235.3 | 68.8 | 122.5 |
| Brazil | 2021 | 92.9 | 326.9 | 71.3 | 119.9 |
| Ireland | 2022 | 98.7 | 221.3 | 67.6 | 135 |
| Austria | 2023 | 103.1 | 260.7 | 73 | 143.2 |
| New Zealand | 2018 | 108.2 | 239.9 | 75.8 | 146.9 |
| United States | 2022 | 111.9 | 281.8 | 79 | 151.9 |
| Estonia | 2022 | 121.2 | 454.3 | 79.7 | 195.8 |
| Germany | 2023 | 128.3 | 300.1 | 86 | 181.1 |
| Finland | 2023 | 130.9 | 271.8 | 80.6 | 199.8 |
| Czechia | 2023 | 154.4 | 372.1 | 117.4 | 205.2 |
| Türkiye | 2023 | 158.2 | 379.5 | 126.3 | 197.2 |
| Croatia | 2021 | 161.2 | 476.1 | 127 | 206.6 |
| Bulgaria | 2022 | 165.6 | 871.2 | 120.5 | 226.2 |
| Poland | 2023 | 173.3 | 385.3 | 134.4 | 226.6 |
| Romania | 2022 | 249.3 | 745.3 | 196.2 | 322.1 |
| Colombia | 2021 | 253.2 | 445.7 | 200.3 | 334.2 |
| Latvia | 2023 | 253.4 | 594.4 | 183.5 | 369.5 |
| Mexico | 2022 | 276 | 427.1 | 240.3 | 319.2 |
| Slovakia | 2023 | 276.7 | 491.4 | 235.7 | 327.9 |
| Hungary | 2023 | 277.4 | 579.7 | 223.1 | 358.8 |
| Lithuania | 2023 | 319.1 | 534.3 | 250.6 | 428.4 |
| Russia | 2019 | 333.7 | 633.8 | 257.4 | 458.2 |
Using these numbers
Link to any table with its anchor, such as #by-country or #us-by-age. Please cite the original source shown under each table. US federal data is public domain, and OECD data is CC BY 4.0.
Figures were checked against the source on October 30, 2026. Report an error.
What resting pulse has to do with it
Large population studies link a higher resting pulse with higher death rates. That is a link, not a cause. Read what they found in resting heart rate and longevity.
Questions people ask
How many people die from heart disease each year in the US?
683,491 people in 2024, about 22.2% of all US deaths, according to NCHS.
What is the leading cause of death in the US?
Heart disease, ahead of cancer (619,876) and unintentional injuries (197,449) in 2024.
What is the leading cause of death worldwide?
Cardiovascular diseases. The WHO estimates 19.8 million deaths in 2022, about 32% of all deaths.
How is “heart disease” different from “cardiovascular disease”?
Cardiovascular disease is the wider group and includes stroke. That is why the CDC counts 919,032 cardiovascular deaths in 2023, while heart disease alone was 680,981.
How many heart attacks happen each year in the US?
About 805,000, according to the CDC, or one every 40 seconds. About 605,000 of them are first attacks.
At what age does heart disease kill most people?
In 2019, 81% of US heart disease deaths were among people aged 65 or older.
General information, not medical advice — medical disclaimer. Reviewed : sources and reference dates are listed below.
Sources · numbers checked · how we calculate · report an error
- National Center for Health Statistics. Mortality in the United States, 2024. NCHS Data Brief No. 548, January 2026.
- NCHS. Monthly provisional counts of deaths for select causes of death by sex, age, and race and Hispanic origin (dataset 65mz-jvh5), 2019 deaths.
- NCHS, Health, United States. Heart disease deaths (2019 rates by sex).
- World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) fact sheet, 31 July 2025.
- CDC. Heart Disease Facts (deaths from CDC WONDER, 2023).
- OECD Data Explorer. Causes of mortality (age-standardised deaths per 100,000), downloaded 30 October 2026. CC BY 4.0.