Stroke Statistics Information, Charts and Graphs

Did you know?

• Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Over 143,579 people die each year from stroke in the United States.


• Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States.


• Among adults age 20 and older, the prevalence of stroke in 2005 was 6,500,000 (about 2,600,000 males and 3,900,000 females).

High blood pressure is a high risk factor for stroke. You are five times more likely to suffer a stroke if you have Atrial Fibrillation (A-fib). (Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2009 Update, published by the American Heart Association)

Each year about 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. 600,000 are first attacks, with 185,000 being recurrent events. (GCNKSS, NINDS, NHLBI)

Every 40 seconds someone has a stroke. (AHA computation based on latest available data.)

Each year, 55,000 more women have strokes than men. (GCNKSS, NINDS.)

• Men’s stroke incidence rates are greater than women’s at younger ages but not at older ages. The male/female incidence ratio is 1.25 at ages 55–64; 1.50 for ages 65–74; 1.07 at 75–84 and 0.76 at 85 and older. (ARIC and CHS studies.)

U.S. Stroke Deaths for Men 35+, 1991-8

U.S. Stroke Deaths for Women 35+, 1991-8

• Blacks have almost twice the risk of first-ever stroke compared with whites. The age-adjusted stroke incidence rates at ages 45–84 are 6.6 per 1,000 population in black males, 3.6 in whitemales, 4.9 in black females and 2.3 in white females (NHLBI.Incidence and Prevalence: 2006 Chart Book on Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases.)

• The Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi project (BASIC) shows increased incidence of stroke among Mexican Americans compared with non-Hispanic whites. The crude cumulative incidence was 168/10,000 in Mexican Americans and 136/10,000 in non-Hispanic whites. Specifically, Mexican Americans have an increased incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage compared with non-Hispanic whites, as well as an increased incidence of ischemic stroke and TIA at younger ages. (Am J Epidemiol. 2004;160:376-383.)

• Of all strokes, 87 percent are ischemic, 10 percent are intracerebral hemorrhage, and 3 percent are subarachnoid hemorrhage. (GCNKSS, NINDS)

Stroke accounted for about one of every 17 deaths in the United States in 2005. Stroke mortality for 2005 was 143,579 (56,586 males, 86,993 females). Stroke total mention mortality in 2005 was about 242,000 (see glossary for definition of “total mention mortality”). (NHLBI; NCHS public use data file.)

When considered separately from other cardiovascular diseases, stroke ranks No. 3 among all causes of death, behind diseases of the heart and cancer. (NCHS mortality data.)

Every three to four minutes someone dies of a stroke. (NCHS, NHLBI)

Among people ages 45–64, 8 to 12 percent of ischemic strokes and 37 to 38 percent of hemorrhagic strokes result in death within 30 days, according to the ARIC study of the NHLBI. (Stroke. 1999;30:736-743.)

From 1995–2005, the stroke death rate fell 29.7 percent and the actual number of stroke deaths declined 13.5 percent. (NCHS, CDC. Compressed Mortality)

The 2005 final death rate for stroke was 46.6 per 100,000. Death rates were 44.7 for white males and 70.5 for black males; 44.0 for white females and 60.7 for black females. Death rates were 38.0 for Hispanic or Latino males and 33.5 for females; 41.5 for Asian or Pacific Islander males and 36.3 for females; and 31.3 for American Indian/Alaska Native males and 37.1 for females. (NCHS. Health, United States, 2007.)

• Because women live longer than men and stroke occurs at older ages, more women than men die of stroke each year. Women accounted for 60.6 percent of U.S. stroke deaths in 2004. (AHA computation based on latest mortality data.)

TIA Stats

• The prevalence of transient ischemic attacks (TIA) increases with age. (Cerebrovasc Dis. 1996;6[suppl 1]:26–33.)


• About 15 percent of strokes are preceded by a TIA. (Cerebrovasc Dis. 1996;6[suppl 1]:26–33.)


• About half of patients who experience a TIA fail to report it to their healthcare providers. (Neurology. 2003;60:1429–1434.)


• After TIA, the 90-day risk of stroke is 3–17.3 percent, highest within the first 30 days. (Stroke. 2004;35:1842–6; Stroke. 2005;36:720-3; BMJ. 2004;328:326; Neurology. 2003;60:1429–34.)


• Within a year of TIA, up to a quarter of patients will die. (Neurology. 2004;62:S20–S21, Stroke. 2005,36:720–3.)


• People who have a TIA have a 10-year stroke risk of 18.8 percent. (J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry.2003;74:577–80.)

Cost Of Stroke:

The estimated cost of stroke for 2009 is $68.9 billion.

Stroke In Children:

The mean lifetime cost of ischemic stroke in the United States is estimated at $140,048. This includes inpatient care, rehabilitation and follow-up care necessary for lasting deficits. (All numbers converted to 1999 dollars using the medical component of CPI.)(Stroke. 1996;27:1459–1466.)

Compared to the stroke risk of white children, black children have a higher relative risk of 2.12, Hispanics have a lower relative risk of 0.76, and Asians have a similar risk. Boys have a 1.28-fold higherrisk of stroke than girls. There are no ethnic differences in stroke severity or case-fatality, but boys have a higher case-fatality rate for ischemic stroke. (Neurology. 2003;61:189–194.)

Cerebrovascular disorders are among the top 10 causes of death in children, with rates highest in the first year of life. Stroke mortality in children younger than age 1 has remained the same over the last 40 years. (Neurology. 2006;67:1390–95.)