Heart attack statistics span several related measures: acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), coronary heart disease (CHD), and ischemic heart disease (IHD). The figures below identify their populations, periods, definitions and limitations so that global burden, U.S. mortality, incidence, awareness and outcomes are not treated as interchangeable.
Key Heart Attack Statistics
The most broadly useful figures are:
- In 2021, 9 million worldwide deaths were caused by ischemic heart disease, about 13% of all global deaths.
- Between 2000 and 2021, worldwide ischemic-heart-disease deaths rose by 2.7 million.
- From 2000 to 2021, the worldwide age-standardized ischemic-heart-disease death rate fell by roughly 15%.
- In 2022, 103,905 U.S. deaths listed acute myocardial infarction as the underlying cause.
- In 2022, 62,571 U.S. acute-myocardial-infarction deaths were male and 41,334 were female.
- Among U.S. adults aged 60–79 in 2017–2020, 12.3% of males and 4.8% of females reported a prior MI.
- Among U.S. adults aged 80+ in 2017–2020, 16.5% of males and 7.5% of females reported a prior MI.
- The average age of a first heart attack in U.S. data from 2005–2014 was 65.6 years for males and 72.0 years for females.
- U.S. age-adjusted acute-MI mortality fell from 134.7 to 48.5 deaths per 100,000 between 1999 and 2019.
- From 1970 to 2022, U.S. age-adjusted acute-MI mortality fell 89%, from 354 to 40 deaths per 100,000 adults aged 25 and older.
- ARIC surveillance recorded 30,985 fatal or nonfatal hospitalized acute-MI events among people aged 35–74 in four U.S. communities during 1987–2008.
- In the Framingham cohort, AMI-ECG rates declined about 50% from 1960–1969 to 1990–1999.
- In Framingham, crude 30-day AMI case fatality fell from 20% to 14% between 1960–1969 and 1990–1999.
- The CDC estimates that about 750,000 heart attacks occur annually in the United States.
- The share of U.S. adults who knew all five common heart-attack symptoms rose from 40% in 2008 to 50% in 2017.
- The share who knew to call 911 rose from 92% in 2008 to 95% in 2017.
- A four-country linked-data study identified 1,947,895 MI events among 80.4 million people aged 30 or older during 2002–2015.
- In an Olmsted County hospitalized-MI study, the adjusted hazard ratio for 30-day death in 2006 versus 1987 was 0.44, corresponding to a 56% decline in case fatality.
Contents
- Key Heart Attack Statistics
- Worldwide Heart Attack Burden and Cardiovascular Mortality
- U.S. Heart Attack Statistics by Age, Sex and Diagnosis
- Heart Attack Mortality Trends Over Time
- Incidence, Hospitalization and Case-Fatality Trends
- Awareness and Emergency Response Statistics
- Heart Attack Outcomes, Disparities and Recovery Burden
Worldwide Heart Attack Burden and Cardiovascular Mortality
The World Health Organization reports IHD, the underlying condition behind most heart attacks, rather than only acute MI events. In 2021, IHD caused 9 million deaths worldwide, approximately 13% of all deaths; this is an estimate, not a count limited to confirmed acute heart attacks. WHO, “Heart attack”
Between 2000 and 2021, worldwide IHD deaths increased by 2.7 million, while the age-standardized IHD death rate fell by roughly 15%. Absolute deaths are affected by population growth and ageing, so these two measures describe different aspects of the trend. WHO, “Heart attack”
- Heart attack and stroke together account for an estimated 85% of cardiovascular-disease deaths worldwide; the combined measure is not heart attack alone. WHO, “Heart attack”
- WHO member states set a target of reducing raised-blood-pressure prevalence by 25% between 2010 and 2025; this is a prevention target, not an observed heart-attack outcome. WHO, “Heart attack”
- WHO member states also set a target for at least 50% of eligible people to receive drug therapy and counselling to prevent heart attack and stroke by 2025; this is policy coverage, not measured treatment coverage. WHO, “Heart attack”
U.S. Heart Attack Statistics by Age, Sex and Diagnosis
U.S. survey data distinguish prior MI from the broader category of CHD. During 2017–2020, the AHA fact sheet reported the following among older adults:
| U.S. population, 2017–2020 | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| Age 60–79 with prior MI | 12.3% | 4.8% |
| Age 80+ with prior MI | 16.5% | 7.5% |
| Age 60–79 with CHD | 22.4% | 12.2% |
| Age 80+ with CHD | 30.6% | 20.6% |
Prior-MI percentages describe reported history, not incidence during the survey period; CHD includes MI and other coronary conditions. AHA, “2025 Heart Disease & Stroke Statistics Update Fact Sheet: Older Americans & Cardiovascular Diseases”
The average age of a first heart attack in U.S. data from 2005–2014 was 65.6 years for males and 72.0 years for females. That average describes the cited population and period; it is not a current individual prediction. AHA, “2025 Heart Disease & Stroke Statistics Update Fact Sheet: Older Americans & Cardiovascular Diseases”
The CDC/NCHS recorded 103,905 U.S. deaths with acute MI (ICD-10 I21–I22) as the underlying cause in 2022. Of these, 62,571 were male and 41,334 were female; these death-certificate counts do not include all nonfatal heart attacks. CDC/NCHS, “Deaths: Final Data for 2022”
| 2022 U.S. underlying-cause category | Deaths | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Acute myocardial infarction | 103,905 | ICD-10 I21–I22 |
| All ischemic heart diseases | 371,506 | Broader than acute MI |
| Acute MI among White population | 79,750 | Death-certificate count |
| Acute MI among Black population | 11,888 | Death-certificate count |
| Acute MI among Hispanic population | 7,805 | Hispanic origin tabulated separately from race |
The 2022 NCHS table lists 48,545 male and 31,205 female acute-MI deaths among the White population; 6,695 male and 5,193 female deaths among the Black population; and 4,664 male and 3,141 female deaths among people identified as Hispanic. These are counts rather than population-standardized rates. CDC/NCHS, “Deaths: Final Data for 2022”
Heart Attack Mortality Trends Over Time
A nationwide U.S. analysis using CDC WONDER mortality data identified 3,655,274 AMI-related deaths from 1999 through 2019. Age-adjusted acute-MI mortality fell from 134.7 per 100,000 in 1999 to 48.5 per 100,000 in 2019, with a modeled average annual percentage change of −5.0%; this is a trend summary, not a fixed yearly decline. PubMed, “Demographic and Regional Trends of Mortality in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction in the United States, 1999 to 2019”
A separate 1970–2022 U.S. analysis found that age-adjusted acute-MI mortality among adults aged 25 and older fell 89%, from 354 to 40 per 100,000. Over the same period, all-IHD mortality fell 81%, from 693 to 135 per 100,000; IHD represented 91% of heart-disease deaths in 1970 and 53% in 2022. CDC/NCHS, “Deaths: Final Data for 2022”
The “other heart-disease” category in that analysis increased 81%, from 68 to 123 per 100,000 between 1970 and 2022. It excludes IHD and therefore is not a heart-attack trend. CDC/NCHS, “Deaths: Final Data for 2022”
Incidence, Hospitalization and Case-Fatality Trends
The ARIC surveillance study recorded 30,985 fatal or nonfatal hospitalized acute-MI events among residents aged 35–74 in four U.S. communities during 1987–2008. The results are community surveillance, not a national count.
- Among men without a prior MI, CHD-death rates fell an average 4.7% per year during 1987–2008; among women, the decline was 4.3%. PubMed, “Twenty-two-year trends in incidence of myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease mortality, and case fatality in 4 US communities, 1987-2008”
- Age- and biomarker-adjusted incident-MI rates fell 4.3% per year among White men, 3.8% among White women, 3.4% among Black women and 1.5% among Black men in the ARIC communities. PubMed, “Twenty-two-year trends in incidence of myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease mortality, and case fatality in 4 US communities, 1987-2008”
- Age-adjusted 28-day case fatality after hospitalized MI fell 3.5% per year among White men, 3.6% among Black men, 3.0% among White women and 2.6% among Black women. These figures apply to hospitalized MI and a 28-day endpoint. PubMed, “Twenty-two-year trends in incidence of myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease mortality, and case fatality in 4 US communities, 1987-2008”
The Framingham Heart Study included 9,824 participants aged 40–89, 54% of whom were women, across 1960–1999 cohorts, with 212,539 person-years of follow-up. It recorded 941 AMIs: 639 diagnosed by ECG criteria and 302 by infarction biomarkers. PMC, “Long-Term Trends in Myocardial Infarction Incidence and Case-Fatality in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study”
| Framingham measure | 1960–1969 | 1990–1999 |
|---|---|---|
| AMI-ECG incidence | Reference | About 50% lower |
| Biomarker-diagnosed AMI incidence | Reference | Approximately two-fold higher |
| Crude 30-day case fatality | 20% | 14% |
| Crude 1-year case fatality | 24% | 21% |
| Crude 5-year case fatality | 45% | 41% |
The biomarker increase reflects diagnostic sensitivity changes as well as disease occurrence. Age- and sex-adjusted 30-day, 1-year and 5-year AMI case fatality declined 60% in Framingham from 1960 to 1999; the result comes from one cohort and combines three follow-up horizons. PMC, “Long-Term Trends in Myocardial Infarction Incidence and Case-Fatality in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study”
Awareness and Emergency Response Statistics
The CDC estimates that about 750,000 heart attacks occur annually in the United States. The figure is an estimate from the CDC’s 2019 report, not a contemporaneous surveillance count. CDC MMWR, “Awareness of Heart Attack Symptoms and Response Among Adults — United States, 2008, 2014, and 2017”
Surveyed U.S. adults’ knowledge improved between 2008 and 2017, but knowledge measures do not show what a person actually recognized or did during an event:
| Knowledge measure | 2008 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Knew all five common symptoms | 40% | 50% |
| Knew the appropriate response was calling 911 | 92% | 95% |
In 2014 NHIS data, 47.2% of U.S. adults could state all five common heart-attack symptoms and knew to call 911. This is self-reported survey performance, not clinical competence. CDC MMWR, “Awareness of Heart Attack Symptoms and Response Among Adults — United States, 2008, 2014, and 2017”
Heart Attack Outcomes, Disparities and Recovery Burden
A linked-data study across New South Wales, Ontario, New Zealand and England identified 1,947,895 MI events among a source population of 80.4 million people aged 30 or older during 2002–2015. It covers four high-income jurisdictions and is not U.S.-specific. PubMed, “Twenty-two-year trends in incidence of myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease mortality, and case fatality in 4 US communities, 1987-2008”
In an Olmsted County, Minnesota study of hospitalized MI, the adjusted hazard ratio for death within 30 days in 2006 versus 1987 was 0.44, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.30–0.64. That estimate corresponds to a 56% decline in 30-day case fatality between 1987 and 2006, but it applies to hospitalized MI in that study population rather than to all heart attacks. PMC, “Long-Term Trends in Myocardial Infarction Incidence and Case-Fatality in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study”
For hospitalized definite or probable MI during 1987–1994, adjusted 28-day case fatality was 10.6% among women, with a 95% CI of 8.7%–13.0%, and 9.0% among men, with a 95% CI of 7.8%–10.4%. These are study-specific estimates for hospitalized patients, not population-wide fatality rates. NEJM, “Trends in the Incidence of Myocardial Infarction and in Mortality Due to Coronary Heart Disease, 1987 to 1994”
Across these sources, the central measurement caution is consistent: MI, AMI, CHD and IHD overlap but are not interchangeable; mortality counts usually use an underlying cause; and incidence, hospitalization and case-fatality figures follow study-specific definitions. Biomarker adoption also changed AMI detection over time, so ECG-defined, biomarker-defined and all-AMI trends should not be combined as if they measured exactly the same events.