Heart Attack Statistics
On this page we show statistics about heart attacks.
Statistics is all about numbers and odds.
How many people have their first heart attack? And what are the chances of another heart attack? How long will I live after I initially survived my heart attack?
First, let’s discuss cardiovascular disease, abbreviated (CVD).
CVD includes all conditions that affect the heart (cardio) or blood vessels (vascular).
CVD includes ischemic heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease, among others. A heart attack is part of the CVD group.
Ischemic heart disease is caused by narrowed arteries that transport blood to the heart muscle itself. It is the most common type of heart disease.
In a mild form it causes angina pectoris. You feel chest pain during excercise.
With further narrowing of the heart arteries you can feel chest pain in rest.
When the artery suddenly blocks, your ischemic heart disease turns into an emergency. You have a heart attack. A smaller or larger part of the heart muscle does not receive oxygen and starts to die.
Worldwide, there were 18.6 million CVD deaths in 2019 [1].
Of these, 49.2% (9,2 million) died of ischemic heart disease.
The Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 estimated that worldwide 197 million people lived with ischemic heart disease in 2019.
Every year, about 805,000 Americans have a heart attack [2]:
In the United States, every 40 seconds someone has a heart attack [2].
The average 30-day mortality after acute myocardial infarction was 13.6% [2].
When we look at the group of people aged 45 or older, we find the following data:
In above mentioned group within 5 years after a first heart attack 17% of males and 21% of females will have an recurrent or fatal heart attack.
So in this group the chance of a next heart attack within 5 years varies from 17-21%.
The estimated average number of YLL (Years of Lifes Lost) because of an heart attack death was 16.1 in 2018.
A Report From the American Heart Association