ESC Atlas 2025: 3 miljoen CVD-doden per jaar in Europa — middeninkomenlanden hebben dubbele sterfte

This 2025 report from the ESC Atlas project is the fifth in a biennial series. It presents and compares updated cardiovascular disease (CVD) statistics for more than 50 of the ESC member countries. The statistics are for 2024 or latest available year and are stratified by sex and World Bank national income status to identify inequalities in the risk, management, and outcomes of CVD across ESC member countries. A key objective of the ESC Atlas project has been to inform EU-level policy initiatives aimed at reducing the burden of CVD, contributing to the evidence base underpinning the European Union's cardiovascular health plan ("Safe Hearts Plan"), adopted in December 2025. Population ageing is a major contributor to the continuing high prevalence of CVD across ESC member countries. The Atlas reports 68 million disability-adjusted life years attributable to CVD in association with more than 3 million deaths per year. These statistics identify CVD as the leading cause of death across ESC member countries. However, substantial variation exists by national income status, with middle-income countries exhibiting age-standardized mortality rates that are roughly twice those observed in high-income countries. Marked disparities in healthcare delivery-particularly in workforce capacity and access to advanced interventions-are also evident. These inequalities by national income status are recurrent throughout this Atlas report. They highlight clear priorities for policymakers as they develop strategies to reduce the burden of CVD in the regions where the need is greatest. This 2025 report provides a detailed picture of the complex interplay between demography, the environment, socio-economic status, and clinical factors in shaping cardiovascular (CV) risk. It underscores how the progress that has been made in reducing the CVD burden across ESC member countries is at risk of being offset by new challenges, particularly the epidemic of obesity and diabetes that continues to undermine CV health. The findings presented in this report emphasize the need for coordinated policies to combat these challenges in order to sustain the progress that has been made in reducing the burden of CVD across ESC member countries.