Diseases of the heart and circulatory system (cardiovascular disease or CVD) are the main cause of death in Europe: accounting for over 4.30 million deaths each year. Nearly half (48%) of all deaths are from CVD (54% of deaths in women and 43% of deaths in men). The main forms of CVD are coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. Just under half of all deaths from CVD are from CHD and nearly a third are from stroke.
CVD is also the main cause of death in the European Union (EU) accounting for over 2.0 million deaths each year. Nearly half (42%) of all deaths in the EU (45% deaths in women and 38% deaths in men) are from CVD - slightly less than for Europe as a whole. Over a third of deaths from CVD are from CHD and just over a quarter are from stroke .
CHD by itself is the single most common cause of death in Europe: accounting for 1.92 million deaths in Europe each year. Over one in five women (22%) and over one in five men (21%) die from the disease .
CHD by itself is also the single most common cause of death in the EU: accounting for over 741,000 deaths in the EU each year. Around one in six men (16%) and over one in seven women (15%) die from the disease.
Stroke by itself is the second single most common cause of death in Europe: accounting for 1.24 million deaths in Europe each year. Over one in six women (17%) and one in ten men (11%) die from the disease.
Stroke by itself is also the second single most common cause of death in the EU: accounting for just over 508,000 deaths in the EU each year. Around one in ten men (9%) and one in eight women (12%) die from the disease.