How many people die a year from heart disease?

A: In the U.S. in 2005, there were 445,687 deaths from heart disease - that's roughly one in five deaths.

Globally, cardiovascular diseases (coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, raised blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease and heart failure) are the no.1 cause of death and is set to remain so.

An estimated 17.5 million people died from cardiovascular disease in 2005, representing 30 % of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 7.6 million were due to heart attacks and 5.7 million due to stroke.

About 80% of these deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. If current trends are allowed to continue, by 2015 an estimated 20 million people will die from cardiovascular disease (mainly from heart attacks and strokes).