Heart disease continues to claim more American lives than any other cause of death, outpacing all cancers and accidental deaths combined.
The latest statistics from the American Heart Association’s 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics report paint a grim picture: cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the country’s leading cause of death, fueled by rising rates of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.
According to the report, published in Circulation, heart disease was responsible for 941,652 deaths in 2022, an increase of over 10,000 from the previous year.
Someone in the U.S. dies from heart disease every 34 seconds. That translates to nearly 2,500 deaths per day, a sobering reality that American Heart Association President Dr. Keith Churchwell says should be a wake-up call.
“Too many people are dying from heart disease and stroke, which remains the fifth leading cause of death,” Churchwell stated. “These two conditions together kill more Americans than all cancers and accidental deaths combined.”
The data suggests that while some progress has been made in reducing high cholesterol and smoking rates, other major contributors to heart disease—such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes—are spiraling out of control.
More than 72% of U.S. adults now have what is classified as an “unhealthy weight” (BMI of 25 or higher), with nearly 42% meeting the criteria for obesity (BMI of 30 or more).
Meanwhile, over 57% of U.S. adults have either type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, both of which significantly increase the risk of heart disease.
Experts warn that if these trends continue unchecked, by 2050, hypertension and obesity will each affect more than 180 million Americans, while diabetes cases will surpass 80 million.
This would not only exacerbate the public health crisis but also result in a projected 300% increase in cardiovascular-related healthcare costs.
Obesity: The New Smoking
One of the most concerning revelations from the report is that excess weight is now a greater killer than smoking.
Historically, smoking has been one of the top contributors to preventable deaths in the U.S., but declining smoking rates have shifted the focus to obesity.
“Excess weight now costs us even more lives than smoking,” said Dr. Latha P. Palaniappan, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University. “It lowers life expectancy by as much as 2.4 years compared to a healthy weight.”
The report estimates that obesity contributes to nearly 500,000 deaths per year, or roughly 1,300 deaths per day. And the crisis isn’t limited to adults—40% of American youth are now classified as having an unhealthy weight, a troubling statistic that experts say will only worsen the nation’s heart disease epidemic in the decades to come.
Not All Americans Face the Same Risk
Heart disease does not affect all demographics equally. The report highlights significant disparities in risk factors among racial and ethnic groups.
- Black women have the highest obesity rate at 57.9%, while Asian women have the lowest at 14.5%.
- Black women also have the highest rate of high blood pressure (58.4%), whereas Hispanic women have the lowest (35.3%).
Fighting the Risk Factors
Despite the grim statistics, experts insist that heart disease is largely preventable.
The key to reversing the trend, they say, lies in aggressively tackling the risk factors before they escalate.
“We need to stop these risk factors in their tracks and keep people healthy throughout their lifespan,” Churchwell explained.
Dr. Bradley Serwer, a cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, agrees. While he acknowledges the progress made in reducing high cholesterol and smoking rates, he warns that the fight is far from over.
“Just because we are seeing improvements in smoking and high cholesterol doesn’t mean we can back off,” Serwer said. “We need to continue to aggressively attack tobacco use and treat hyperlipidemia while increasing efforts to combat obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.”
With heart disease still reigning as the nation’s top killer, the message from experts is clear: preventative action is critical.
Whether through improved diet, increased physical activity, or better access to medical care, tackling the root causes of heart disease must remain a national priority—before the crisis worsens.