The American Heart Association reported Wednesday that heart disease and stroke deaths declined in 2023, but the two conditions still kill more people in the U.S. than any other cause.
The figures come from the association’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, which uses the most recent national data available. Data from 2024 and 2025 is not yet published.
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Heart disease remained the nation’s No. 1 cause of death in 2023, accounting for 22% of deaths. Stroke ranked No. 4, responsible for 5.3% of all fatalities.
The report also highlighted concerns. The share of Americans with high blood pressure rose to 47.3% in 2023, up from 46.3% three years earlier. Childhood obesity increased from 25.4% in 2020 to 28.1% in 2023, though adult obesity saw a slight decline.
“The good news is that, overall, fewer people are dying from any cause, and death rates are improving as life expectancy continues to rebound after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Latha P. Palaniappan, volunteer chair of the statistics update writing committee. “However, about half of all U.S. adults continue to have some form of cardiovascular disease. Those rates are still higher than they were before the pandemic, and persistent increases in common conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity continue to drive the risk.”
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The new data does not indicate how GLP-1 medications might affect long-term heart disease trends. In earlier guidance, the American Heart Association cited evidence that people with Type 2 diabetes who combined GLP-1 use with healthy lifestyle changes saw a significant reduction in the risk of dying from a cardiovascular event.
