Who dies of stroke?
In the median of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age, 5.6% of men and 7.1% of women eventually die of stroke. It is the most likely cause of death in 14 of their 1,152 country, sex and age groups.
The risk by age
Chance of dying of stroke within 10 years, and its share of all the risk at that age — the median of 36 countries. Your own country's numbers are one click away on its page.
| Age | men | women |
|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | <0.01% (0.74% of the risk) | <0.01% (1.0% of the risk) |
| 20–24 | <0.01% (1.2% of the risk) | <0.01% (1.6% of the risk) |
| 25–29 | 0.01% (1.7% of the risk) | <0.01% (2.3% of the risk) |
| 30–34 | 0.03% (2.6% of the risk) | 0.02% (2.9% of the risk) |
| 35–39 | 0.05% (3.0% of the risk) | 0.03% (3.6% of the risk) |
| 40–44 | 0.08% (3.3% of the risk) | 0.05% (3.7% of the risk) |
| 45–49 | 0.14% (3.8% of the risk) | 0.09% (3.8% of the risk) |
| 50–54 | 0.22% (3.8% of the risk) | 0.13% (3.8% of the risk) |
| 55–59 | 0.42% (4.1% of the risk) | 0.22% (4.2% of the risk) |
| 60–64 | 0.68% (4.6% of the risk) | 0.42% (4.9% of the risk) |
| 65–69 | 1.2% (5.4% of the risk) | 0.78% (5.6% of the risk) |
| 70–74 | 2.0% (6.0% of the risk) | 1.6% (6.7% of the risk) |
| 75–79 | 3.3% (6.3% of the risk) | 3.2% (7.8% of the risk) |
| 80–84 | 4.9% (6.5% of the risk) | 5.1% (7.9% of the risk) |
| 85–89 | 5.6% (6.3% of the risk) | 6.8% (7.8% of the risk) |
| 90–94 | 5.9% (6.3% of the risk) | 7.2% (7.6% of the risk) |
Where it's the most likely cause of death
Lifetime chance, men: highest and lowest countries
Lifetime chance, women: highest and lowest countries
What changes the odds
- People with obesity (a BMI of 30 or more): about 2.1 times as often as people of healthy weight.
- In large cohort studies, people who smoke died of it about 1.9 times as often as people who never smoked (Carter 2015).
- Heavy drinkers: about 1.7 times as often as people who don't drink.
- People who don't eat fruit or vegetables every day: about 1.4 times as often as people who eat 5 portions a day or more (Aune 2017).
Weight, exercise, alcohol and diet at age 55, from the published studies behind Odainn's personal numbers — methodology.
What you can do
- High blood pressure is the biggest cause — have it checked, and treated if it's high.
- Don't smoke, and keep alcohol low.
- An irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) raises stroke risk several times — tell your doctor if your heart races or skips; treatment lowers the risk.
- Stay active, keep a healthy weight, and keep diabetes and cholesterol under control.
Act fast: FAST: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech slurred — Time to call your emergency number immediately, even if the symptoms pass.
Sources: NHS: Stroke — symptoms (FAST); 2024 ESC Guidelines on elevated blood pressure and hypertension; 2024 ESC Guidelines on atrial fibrillation. General guidance, not medical advice.
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Related: Heart attack & coronary heart disease · Heart failure & other heart disease · High blood pressure & other circulatory disease
Questions
- At what age is stroke most likely to be the cause of death?
- For men, stroke takes its largest share of deaths at 80–84: 6.5% of the risk of dying in the next 10 years, in the median of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age.
- Which country has the highest risk of dying of stroke?
- Of the 36 countries that publish causes of death by age, Bulgaria has the highest lifetime chance of dying of stroke for men (16%), and Canada the lowest (4.2%).
- What raises the risk of dying of stroke?
- People with obesity (a BMI of 30 or more): about 2.1 times as often as people of healthy weight. In large cohort studies, people who smoke died of it about 1.9 times as often as people who never smoked (Carter 2015). Heavy drinkers: about 1.7 times as often as people who don't drink. People who don't eat fruit or vegetables every day: about 1.4 times as often as people who eat 5 portions a day or more (Aune 2017).
Computed by Odainn from official mortality statistics (Eurostat; ONS, NRS and NISRA; CDC; Statistics Canada) for 36 countries, latest years — how we calculate. Belarus is left out: deaths by cause and age aren't published together there, so the split by cause is our estimate. Population statistics, not a prediction for any individual. Educational, not medical advice.