Overview

• An updated Global Burden of Disease analysis published in JACC reports 19.2 million cardiovascular deaths in 2023 and 437 million disability-adjusted life years, up from 13.1 million deaths and 320 million DALYs in 1990.
• Nearly 80% of the cardiovascular disease burden was attributable to modifiable risks, including high body mass index, elevated blood glucose, high blood pressure, poor diet, tobacco use and air pollution.
• Authors identify population growth, population aging and rising exposure to risk factors as key drivers, with a 16-fold difference in CVD DALY rates between the least and most affected countries.
• In the UK, British Heart Foundation data show working-age cardiovascular deaths rose 18% between 2019 and 2023, with the mortality rate increasing to 55 per 100,000 from 49, and people born after 1960 now more likely to die from CVD.
• BHF reports sharp increases since 2020 in heart failure (up 21% to 785,000), atrial fibrillation (up 10% to 1.62 million), adult diabetes (up 12% to 4.6 million) and adult obesity (~29%), alongside an 82% rise in England’s cardiac waiting list to 421,683 by February 2025.