The American Heart Association's 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update reveals a decline in cardiovascular disease deaths following a five-year upward trend likely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the annual update published in Circulation, there were 915,973 total deaths from cardiovascular disease in 2023, down from 941,652 in 2022. The age-adjusted rate of cardiovascular disease deaths decreased to 218.3 per 100,000 people from 224.3 per 100,000 the previous year.
Despite this improvement, heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, with stroke now occupying the fourth position on the list of leading causes of death. Together, these conditions accounted for more than a quarter of all U.S. deaths in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available. Coronary heart disease, the most common form of cardiovascular disease, was responsible for 349,470 deaths in 2023, while stroke caused 162,639 deaths.
"It's encouraging to see that total deaths from heart disease and stroke declined. The past five years appear to have been an anomaly given the huge impact the pandemic had on all health during that time," said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association. "The fact remains that heart disease and stroke continue to take the lives of too many of our loved ones each and every day."
While overall stroke deaths decreased for the first time in several years, concerning trends emerged in specific age groups. The report shows an 8.3% increase in the crude stroke death rate among people 25 to 34 years of age between 2013 and 2023, and an 18.2% increase among those older than 85 during the same period. These increases contrast with previous data showing no significant rise in these rates between 2012 and 2022.
Underlying risk factors continue to drive cardiovascular disease prevalence across the population. Approximately 125.9 million U.S. adults now have high blood pressure, nearly 29.5 million have diagnosed diabetes, and about 50% of adults have obesity or severe obesity. Alarmingly, obesity rates among youth aged 2 to 19 increased from 25.4% to 28.1% between recent measurement periods.
For the first time, this year's statistics update includes a chapter on cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, a health disorder connecting heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity. The data reveals that nearly 90% of U.S. adults have some level of this syndrome, and over 80% of young and middle-aged adults already show early risk factors. "These numbers should ring alarm bells, particularly among young adults because that's a snapshot into our future," said Sadiya S. Khan, M.D., M.Sc., FAHA, volunteer vice-chair of the statistical update writing group.
The report highlights the importance of following the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8™ healthy lifestyle guidance, which includes four health behaviors and four health factors key to cardiovascular health. Studies cited in the update show that people with ideal cardiovascular health as measured by Life's Essential 8 had a 74% lower risk of cardiovascular events compared with those who had poor cardiovascular health. In the United States, optimal Life's Essential 8 scores could prevent up to 40% of annual all-cause and cardiovascular disease deaths among adults.
Despite these promising findings, adherence to healthy lifestyle measures remains low. Diet scores are the lowest of the eight measures among adults and youth, only 25.3% of U.S. adults meet national physical activity guidelines, and less than half of adults being treated for Type 2 diabetes have their condition under control. "We know that as much as 80% of heart disease and stroke is preventable with lifestyle changes and many chronic health conditions that contribute to poor cardiovascular health are manageable," Rosen said.
The statistics update serves as a critical resource for understanding cardiovascular disease impact and guiding prevention efforts. As the world's leading cause of death, cardiovascular disease demands continued attention and evidence-based interventions to address persistent risk factors and health disparities across populations.
