UK Heart and Circulatory Diseases Statistics (2025)

Overview of Heart and Circulatory Diseases in the UK

Heart and circulatory diseases (cardiovascular disease; CVD) encompass all diseases of the heart and circulation, including conditions present from birth, inherited disorders, and those that develop later in life such as coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, stroke, and vascular dementia.

Key Facts

• Over 7.6 million people are living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK – more than 4 million males and over 3.6 million females.
• Heart and circulatory diseases cause around 174,693 deaths annually in the UK (26% of all deaths) – approximately 480 deaths each day or one every three minutes.
• Around 49,000 people under the age of 75 die from heart and circulatory diseases each year.
• Since the 1960s, the annual number of deaths from heart and circulatory diseases in the UK has fallen by nearly half.
• Approximately 80% of people with heart and circulatory diseases have at least one other health condition.
• Around twice as many people are living with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK than with cancer and Alzheimer’s disease combined.
• It’s estimated that more than half of the UK population will develop a heart or circulatory condition in their lifetime.
• Due to an ageing population and improved survival rates, the number of people living with heart and circulatory diseases could increase by 1 million by 2030 and 2 million by 2040.

Today in the UK

Each day in the UK:

• 480 people die from a heart or circulatory disease
• Around 130 of these deaths occur in people under 75
• 7.6+ million people are living with a heart or circulatory disease
• 270 hospital admissions are due to heart attacks
• 180 people die from coronary heart disease
• 13 babies are diagnosed with a heart defect

The Economic Impact

• Healthcare costs relating to heart and circulatory diseases are estimated at £12 billion each year.
• The total cost to the UK economy (including premature death, long-term care, disability and informal costs) is estimated to be £28 billion annually.

Regional Variations

• Early deaths from heart and circulatory diseases (before the age of 75) are most common in the north of England, central Scotland and the south of Wales, and lowest in the south of England.
• The premature CVD death rate for Glasgow, Scotland (139 per 100,000 people) is more than three times higher than that of Hart in Hampshire (40 per 100,000).

Coronary Heart Disease Statistics (CHD)

Coronary heart disease is the most commonly diagnosed heart condition. It occurs when coronary arteries become narrowed by atheroma build-up, causing angina or, if blocked, heart attacks.

Key Facts

• CHD is responsible for around 66,000 deaths in the UK each year – an average of 180 people each day.
• CHD is one of the UK’s leading causes of death and the most common cause of premature death.
• In the UK, one in eight men and one in 14 women die from coronary heart disease.
• CHD kills more than twice as many women in the UK as breast cancer.
• Around 25,000 people under 75 die from CHD annually.
• There are 2.3 million people living with CHD in the UK – approximately 1.5 million men and 830,000 women.
• People with coronary heart disease or previous heart attacks are twice as likely to have a stroke.

Heart Attack Statistics (Myocardial Infarction)

• Around 100,000 hospital admissions each year are due to heart attacks – 290 each day or one every five minutes.
• In the 1960s, more than seven out of ten heart attacks were fatal; today, more than seven out of ten people survive.
• An estimated 1.4 million people alive in the UK today have survived a heart attack – around one million men and 400,000 women.

Atrial Fibrillation Statistics (AF)

• More than 1.6 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
• People with AF are five times more likely to have a stroke.
• AF is a contributing factor to one in five strokes.
• Many cases remain undetected and undiagnosed.

Heart Failure Statistics

• Over one million people in the UK have heart failure.
• There are around 200,000 new diagnoses of heart failure every year.
• More than 780,000 people are on their GP’s heart failure register.
• Up to 80% of heart failure diagnoses in England are made in hospital, despite 40% of patients having symptoms that should have triggered earlier assessment.
• People with heart failure are 2-3 times more likely to have a stroke.

Stroke Statistics

• Stroke causes around 34,000 deaths in the UK each year.
• There are more than 100,000 strokes annually – that’s a stroke at least every five minutes.
• Approximately 1.4 million people in the UK have survived a stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).
• Around one in four strokes occur in people of working age.
• Stroke is the single biggest cause of severe disability in the UK.
• People with heart failure are 2-3 times more likely to have a stroke.
• People with diabetes are twice as likely to have a stroke.

Vascular Dementia Statistics

• Vascular dementia causes around 14,000 deaths each year.
• It is the second most common type of dementia, seen in up to one in five dementia cases.
• Vascular dementia affects at least 180,000 people in the UK.
• People with a family history of coronary heart disease are significantly more likely to develop vascular dementia.
• Vascular dementia accounts for three-quarters of dementia cases in stroke survivors.
• People with diabetes are 2-3 times more likely to develop vascular dementia.

Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Statistics

• There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year.
• The overall survival rate is less than one in ten.
• Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces survival chances by up to 10%.
• Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double survival chances.
• Public-access defibrillators are used in less than 10% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

Congenital Heart Disease Statistics

• Heart defects are diagnosed in at least 1 in 150 births – averaging 13 babies each day.
• Estimates suggest 1-2% of the population may be affected by congenital heart conditions.
• Heart defects are the most common congenital anomaly in UK-born babies.
• Heart disease is the biggest cause of perinatal and infant mortality from congenital anomalies.
• Before advances in research and treatment, most babies with severe heart defects did not survive to their first birthday; today, more than eight in ten survive to adulthood.

Inherited (Genetic) Heart Conditions Statistics

• An estimated 340,000 people in the UK have an inherited heart condition.
• Conditions include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM; affects 1 in 500 people), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/ARVC).
• Around 270,000 people have familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH; 1 in 250 people).
• At least 12 young people (under 35) die weekly from undiagnosed heart conditions.
• High-intensity statins can reduce cholesterol levels by half in people with FH, significantly lowering their risk of death.

Risk Factors

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

• Approximately 30% of UK adults (around 16 million) have high blood pressure – up to half are not receiving effective treatment.
• Around 11 million people have been diagnosed with high blood pressure by their GP – suggesting up to 5 million adults could be undiagnosed.
• In total, up to 8 million people are living with undiagnosed or uncontrolled high blood pressure.
• Around 50% of heart attacks and strokes are associated with high blood pressure.

Diabetes

• Over 5.6 million people in the UK have diabetes.
• 4.6 million adults have been diagnosed with diabetes.
• Around 90% of diagnoses are type 2 diabetes, with 10% being type 1 or rarer types.
• An estimated 1.2 million people likely have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.
• Adults with diabetes are 2-3 times more likely to develop heart and circulatory diseases and nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease or stroke.
• In the UK, diabetes is associated with 1 in 10 cardiovascular deaths.

High Cholesterol

• High LDL (“bad”) cholesterol is associated with 1 in 5 heart and circulatory disease deaths.
• Around half of UK adults have cholesterol levels above national guidelines (greater than 5mmol/L).
• People with existing heart and circulatory diseases often have even lower target cholesterol levels.

Other Significant Risk Factors

Air Pollution

• Up to 14,000 heart and circulatory disease deaths in the UK annually are attributable to particulate matter pollution.

Smoking

• At least 1 in 8 adults smoke (around 7 million adults).
• Approximately 80,000 deaths each year are attributed to smoking-related causes.
• At least 15,000 heart and circulatory disease deaths annually can be attributed to smoking.

Overweight & Obesity

• Nearly 30% of UK adults have obesity, with an additional 35% being overweight.
• Around 27% of UK children have a BMI classified as overweight or obese.
• In the UK, approximately 1 in 9 heart and circulatory disease deaths are associated with high body mass index.

Diet & Exercise

• Only about 30% of adults consume the recommended minimum five portions of fruit and vegetables daily.
• Around 25% of adults exceed national guidelines for weekly alcohol intake.
• More than one-third (34%) of UK adults do not achieve recommended physical activity levels (150 minutes weekly).
• Being physically active can reduce heart and circulatory disease risk by up to 35%.

Additional Risk Factors

• Impaired kidney function
• Advanced age
• Gender
• Family history
• Ethnicity

UK Heart and Circulatory Diseases Statistics References