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Statistics

A breakdown of the most up-to-date, available, statistics about chest, heart and stroke conditions.

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641,644 people are on registers for chest, heart and stroke conditions (including hypertension) in Northern Ireland.

In the adult population:

  • about 1 in 5 people have a diagnosis of a chest, heart or stroke condition (about 290,000 people)
  • at least 1 in 4 people (about 380,000) are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions, maybe as many as 1 in 3 (about 470,000 people)

Deaths due to chest, heart and stroke conditions, when combined, are the #1 cause of death in NI.

They are responsible for 14 deaths per day or 5,268 per year.

30% of all deaths in NI in 2021 were caused by chest, heart and stroke conditions.

Respiratory Conditions  

Respiratory diseases affect parts of the body to do with breathing, like the lungs and airways. These include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, and  pneumonia, amongst  others.

Almost 174,706 people are living with respiratory conditions. 

4 deaths per day (1,555 per year) are due to respiratory conditions. 

111 hospital admissions every day (40,441 each year) were due to respiratory conditions. 

Find out more about respiratory conditions.

COPD

2,757 people
744 deaths per year
8,937 hospital admissions per year

Asthma
131,949 people
35 deaths per year
1,824 hospital admissions per year

Circulatory Conditions

The circulatory system is your heart and blood vessels. Circulatory diseases affect this system. It covers a lot of different conditions, including high blood pressure, heart attacks, heart failure, and coronary heart disease, and these are usually called Cardiovascular Diseases (or CVD for short).*

Almost 180,335 people are living with circulatory conditions.

10 deaths per day (3,713 per year) are due to circulatory conditions.

112 hospital admissions every day (40,864 each year) were due to circulatory conditions.

Find out more about circulatory conditions.


Heart Disease Facts:

  • 16 people have a heart attack every day in NI.
  • Coronary Heart Disease is the biggest single cause of premature deaths in people younger than 75 across NI.

Women and Heart Disease

  • 1,680 women were admited to hospital for heart attacks in 2021.
  • 4 in 10 heart attack deaths are female.
  • Heart disease kills nearly twice as many women in NI as cervix, uterus, ovary and breast cancer combined.
  • More women died from a heart attack than breast cancer in 2021-22
  • During and after menopause, a woman's body gradually produces less oestrogen. This increases the risk of coronary arteries narrowing, and increases your risk of developing coronary heart disease or a circulatory condition such as stroke.
Coronary Heart Disease
74,549 people
1,571 deaths per year
12,458 hospital admissions per year
Heart Failure

20,231 people
161 deaths per year
6,391 hospital admissions per year

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

  • 286,603 or 20% of the adult population have high blood pressure.
  • Up to 120,000 people have undiagnosed high blood pressure.
  • When those diagnosed and undiagnosed are combined, up to one third of the adult population have high blood pressure.
  • Hypertension is the number one cause of stroke.

Stroke and TIA

    Stroke and TIA

    A stroke is sometimes called a brain attack. It is a serious life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. A “TIA” (or transient ischaemic attack) is sometimes called a 'mini-stroke', because the symptoms similar to those of a stroke but last a short time and occur because of a temporary lack of blood to part of the brain.

    Read more about Stroke and TIA

    40,348 people are living with a stroke or TIA.

    2 deaths per day (845 per year) are due to stroke or TIA.

    8 hospital admissions every day (2,910 each year) were due to stroke or TIA.

    • 50% of stroke survivors are under 75.
    • 88% had a history of heart attack.
    • Almost a quarter had a prior stroke.
    • Almost 6 in 10 people who had a stroke in 2021/22 were diagnosed with hypertension before their stroke.
    • Over 1 in 5 were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

    Atrial Fibrillation

    Atrial Fibrillation (AF)

    AF is a type of irregular heartbeat. If you have AF, your heart will not have a regular beat and maybe abnormally fast. The heart may not empty its chambers of blood at each beat, so a clot could form in the blood left behind, which can then travel to the brain and cause a stroke. AF can make your risk of a stroke five times higher.

    Read more about AF.

    45,207 people are living with Atrial Fibrillation.

    12 hospital admissions every day (4,395 each year) were due to Atrial Fibrillation.

    • Around 100,000 people may have undetected AF.
    • People with AF are at greater risk of stroke and their stroke is more likely to be severe.
    • 20%-30% of all strokes are attributed to AF.
    • 30-40% of people will not know that they have AF until they have a stroke.

      Health and Lifestyle Statistics

      SMOKING
      • Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness and premature death in 
      • Northern Ireland, killing around 2,300 people each year.
      • 17% of people currently smoke
      • 1 in 8 women smoke during pregnancy
      • 4% of 11-16 year olds currently smoke
      • About 1 in 4 16-34 year olds currently smoke
      • Smoking robs 10 –15 years of healthy life.
      E-CIGS
      • 7% of people currently use e-cigs
      DIET
      • 56% of adults don't get 5+ portions of fruit and veg a day

      ALCOHOL

      • 350 deaths per year due to alcohol consumption
      • 54% of people in NI drink at least once a week
      OBESITY
      • 1 in 4 P1 children are overweight or obese
      • 65% of adults,
        40% of 11-15 year olds and
        1 in 3 2-10 year olds
        are overweight or obese

      ACTIVITY

      • Primary school children are sedentary 5 hrs a day and
        post-primary students 7 hrs a day
      • 45% of adults are not doing enough physical activity
      • Children in NI have the lowest physical activity levels in the UK


      Download our Statistics Infographic Leaflet:

      Additional Information:

      • Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness and premature death in Northern Ireland, killing around 2,300 people each year, and robs on average 10 –15 years of healthy life. [1,13,14]

        • In 2021-22, 17% of the adult population reported that they “currently” smoked. This is an increase of 5 percentage points on the previous year, but the same percentage as 2019-20. Just over a quarter (27%) used to smoke.
        • The numbers who smoke has decreased by 30% since 2011.

        2010-11

        2020-21

        2021-22

        % change since 2010-11

        Currently smoke

        24%

        12%

        q

        17%

        p

        q

        Used to, regularly

        20%

        22%

        p

        19%

        q

        =

        Used to, not reg.

        13%

        11%

        q

        8%

        q

        q

        Never smoked

        44%

        56%

        p

        55%

        =

        p


        Gender

        • One in five (20%) males currently smoked in 20-21. This was an increase of 6 percentage points on the previous year. The percentage of females who smoked in 2021-22, 15%, jumped four percentage points on the previous year.
        Age Group
        • Younger people were more likely to be current smokers than older people. Almost a quarter of 16-24 year olds smoked, 23% (compared to 15% the previous year) as did 25-34 year olds (compared to 14% the previous year).
        • Although, a larger proportion of people aged 16-24 were less likely to have never smoked - 62%.

        Age-group “never smoked”

        2010/11

        2020/21

        2021/22

        16-24

        53%

        71%

        p

        62%

        p

        25-34

        42%

        47%

        p

        52%

        p

        35-44

        43%

        59%

        p

        56%

        q

        45-54

        42%

        51%

        p

        53%

        p

        55-64

        37%

        60%

        p

        55%

        q

        65-74

        41%

        46%

        p

        55%

        p

        75+

        51%

        57%

        p

        58%

        p

        Total

        44%

        56%

        p

        55%

        q


        Areas of Deprivation

        • More than a quarter (29%) of those living in the most deprived areas smoke (down from 40% in 2010/11) compared with 10% of those living in the least deprived areas (down from 14% in 2010/11).

        Most – least deprived “currently smoke”

        2010/11

        2020/21

        2021/22

        Most deprived

        40%

        22%

        q

        29%

        p

        Quintile 2

        26%

        16%

        q

        23%

        p

        Quintile 3

        22%

        8%

        q

        14%

        p

        Quintile 4

        20%

        10%

        q

        13%

        p

        Least deprived

        14%

        7%

        q

        10%

        p

        Total

        24%

        12%

        q

        17%

        p

        • Although percentages who have “never smoked” in the most deprived areas have increased since 2011.

        Most – least deprived “never smoked”

        2010/11

        2020/21

        2021/22

        Most deprived

        32%

        42%

        p

        42%

        =

        Quintile 2

        42%

        54%

        p

        51%

        q

        Quintile 3

        46%

        63%

        p

        61%

        q

        Quintile 4

        46%

        56%

        p

        63%

        p

        Least deprived

        51%

        62%

        p

        57%

        q

        Total

        44%

        56%

        p

        55%

        =


        Smoking and pregnancy [20]

        • In 2020, about one in eight women (12.1%) reported smoking during their pregnancy.
        • The numbers smoking during pregnancy has been decreasing, year on year, since 2010.

        2010

        2015

        2019

        2020

        Change since 2010

        17.1%

        14.1%

        q

        12.6%

        q

        12.1%

        q

        q 5 percentage points


        Young People and Smoking [13]

        • Almost 1 in 10 (9.6%) had ever tried smoking tobacco with only 4% indicating that they currently smoked. This represents a decrease since 2000, when two-fifths (37%) reported ever having smoked and 15% were current smokers.
        • 16% of young smokers smoked every day.
        • 11% smoked at least once a week but not every day.
        • Boys (11%) were more likely to report ever having smoked than girls (8%). Young people living in the most deprived quintile were more likely to report ever having smoked (13%) than those in the least deprived quintile (7%) though the rate of current smoking was similar (5% and 3% respectively).

        Read more on our "Smoking" information page.

      • In 2021-22: [15]

          • 7% of adults were currently using e-cigarettes. This was a two percentage point increase on the previous year.
          • There was no difference between females and males who currently used e-cigs (7%)

           E-cigarettes

          2014-15

          2020-21

          2021-22

          Change since 2014-15

          Currently use

          5%

          5%

          =

          7%

          p

          p

          Used to use

          9%

          10%

          p

          9%

          q

          q

          Never

          86%

          85%

          q

          84%

          q

          q



          Age Groups

          • Young people aged 16-24 have shown the greatest increase in use (12% in 2021-22 compared to 8% the previous year), but most age groups have reported increase in current use since 2014.
          • Most young people who reported using e-cigs said they began using it between the ages of 12-14.

          Age group currently using e-cigarettes

          2014-15

          2020-21

          2021-22

          Change since 2014-15

          16-24

          4%

          8%

          p

          12%

          p

          p

          25-34

          7%

          8%

          p

          9%

          p

          p

          35-44

          6%

          4%

          q

          8%

          p

          p

          45-54

          5%

          7%

          p

          6%

          q

          p

          55-64

          6%

          4%

          q

          7%

          p

          p

          65-74

          3%

          2%

          q

          3%

          p

          =

          75+

          1%

          0%

          q

          1%

          p

          =

          Total

          5%

          5%

          =

          7%

          p

          p


          Areas of Deprivation

          • Those living the most deprived areas (10%) were slightly more likely to use e-cigarettes than those living the least deprived areas (8%).

          Most – least deprived

          currently using e-cigs

          2014-15

          2020-21

          2021-22

          Change since 2014-15

          Most deprived

          8%

          7%

          q

          10%

          p

          p

          Quintile 2

          5%

          5%

          =

          8%

          p

          p

          Quintile 3

          4%

          5%

          p

          6%

          p

          p

          Quintile 4

          4%

          5%

          p

          3%

          q

          q

          Least deprived

          4%

          3%

          q

          8%

          p

          p

          Total

          5%

          5%

          =

          7%

          p

          p



        • In 2021-22: [15]

          • One in five (21%) were non-drinkers.
          • One in five reported drinking 3 or more days a week. Males were more likely (26%) than females to drink this way (15%).
          • 6 in 10 people drank at least once a week (or more).
          • The most deprived areas were less likely to drink at least once a week (50%) than the least deprived areas (59%).
          • Almost 6 in 10 (57%) reported drinking within the recommended limits, compared to 17% who drank above the limits.
          • The most up to date information about drinking and weekly limits is 2019-20. [16]

          Male and female drinking patterns differ [16]

          • Females were more likely to be non-drinkers. 17% of males reported being non-drinkers, compared to 27% of females.
          • Females were also more likely to drink within recommended limits, and less likely to drink above limits, than males. 51% of males drank within limits (26% above the limits), compared to 62% of females (9% above limits).

          Young people [16]

          • Since 2000, there has been a decline in both the proportion of young people ever having drank alcohol and the proportion of those who drank that report having been drunk.
          • Half as many young people reported ever having a drink in 2019 (29%) than in 2000 (59%); boys were more likely to report having taken a drink (32%) than girls (26%) and those in Year 12 (56%) were more likely to have done so than those in Year 8 (9%).
          • In 2019, 3 in 10 young people aged 11-16 (29.2%) Of those who ever tried, reported that they ever drank alcohol. 0.3% drank daily. 4% a few times a week.
          • reported being drunk with alcohol at nay time in the last month 50.8%.

          Alcohol-related deaths [20]

          • There were 350 recorded alcohol deaths in 2021 - 2% of all deaths. 64% were male.

          Read more on our "Alcohol" information page.

        • In 2019/20: (the last time the data was collected):[21]

          • Six in ten (65%) adults were either overweight (38%) or obese (27%) (Up from 62% in 2018/19).
          • The number who are overweight or obese has been increasing since 2010
          A picture containing table

Description automatically generated

          All

          2010-11

          2018-19

          2019-20

          Change since 2010

          Underweight

          3%

          2%

          q

          1%

          q

          q 2 percentage points

          Normal weight

          38%

          37%

          q

          33%

          q

          q 5 percentage points

          Overweight

          36%

          37%

          p

          38%

          p

          p 2 percentage points

          Obese

          22%

          23%

          p

          24%

          p

          p 2 percentage points

          Morbidly obese

          2%

          2%

          =

          3%

          p

          p 1 percentage point


          Gender

          Males were more likely to be overweight / obese than females.

          • Females (38%) were more likely to be normal weight than males (28%).
          • Males (43%) were more likely to be overweight than females (33%).
          • Two-thirds (63%) of overweight males thought they were about the right weight.
          • Three-quarters (76%) of overweight males were not trying to lose weight. For obese males - Four-fifths (79%) thought they were too heavy and half were trying to lose weight.
          • Three-fifths (58%) of overweight females thought they were too heavy.
          • Half (48%) of overweight females were trying to lose weight. For obese females - Most (87%) thought they were too heavy and two-thirds were trying to lose weight.

          2019/20

          M

          F

          Underweight

          1%

          2%

          Males overweight or obese = 71%

          Normal weight

          28%

          38%

          Females overweight or obese = 56%

          Overweight

          43%

          33%

          Obese

          26%

          23%

          Morbidly obese

          2%

          4%


          Age Group

          % age group obese or overweight

          16-24

          25-34

          35-44

          45-54

          55-64

          65-74

          75+

          37%

          63%

          66%

          76%

          72%

          78%

          63%


          Obesity in Children and Young People [15, 22,23]

          In 2019/20:

          • A third of children were overweight or obese.
          Text

Description automatically generated
          • Almost a third of  2-10 year olds were overweight or obese (32%), compared to four in ten of 11-15 year olds (38%).

          Age

          % either overweight or obese

          2-10

          33%

          40%

          27%

          31%

          33%

          32%

          27%

          30%

          29%

          32%

          11-15

          35%

          35%

          44%

          37%

          39%

          35%

          39%

          44%

          34%

          38%

          • Males, aged 2-15, were more likely to be overweight / obese than females.

          2019/20

          Males, aged 2-15

          Females, aged 2-15

          Normal weight

          63%

          69%

          Overweight

          17%

          15%

          Obese

          20%

          16%

          • In 2020-21, 23% of Primary 1 aged children were overweight or obese.
          • P1 children from the most deprived areas were more likely to be obese (p 62%) or overweight (p 30%) than those from the least deprived areas.

          2018/19-20/21

          Overweight or Obese

          Males

          19.5%

          Females

          27.2%

          All

          23.2%

          • 28% of Year 8 children were overweight or obese.

          Read more on our "Obesity" information page.

        • The percentage of people getting the recommended 5 fruit and vegetables a day has increased since 2010, but plateaued in recent years.

          • 44% of adults reported getting 5+ portions of fruit and veg a day.
          • Almost 6 in ten don’t meet the recommendations (56%).
          • Most knew about 5 a day recommendations (84%).

          2010-11

          2018-19

          2019-20

          Change since 2010

          <5

          68%

          54%

          q

          56%

          p

          q 12 percentage points

          5+

          32%

          46%

          p

          44%

          q

          p 12 percentage points


          Gender

          • Males are less likely than females to meet the recommended guidelines for fruit & veg consumption. 6 in 10 males were note getting their recommended five a day, compared to half of females.

          2010-11

          2018-19

          2019-20

          Change since 2010

          Male, less than 5 a day

          73%

          57%

          q

          62%

          p

          q 11 percentage points

          Male, 5 or more

          27%

          43%

          p

          38%

          q

          p 11 percentage points

          female, less than 5 a day

          64%

          51%

          q

          50%

          q

          q 14 percentage points

          female, 5 or more

          36%

          49%

          p

          50%

          p

          p 14 percentage points


          Age Group

          • The number of people, across all age groups, getting their five a day, has increased steadily since 2010, but dipped for most in 2019-20, compared to 2018-19

          Getting their five a day

          Age

          2010-11

          18-19

          19-20

          Change since 2010

          16-24

          27%

          41%

          p

          39%

          q

          p 12 percentage points

          25-34

          32%

          43%

          p

          42%

          q

          p 10 percentage points

          35-44

          33%

          51%

          p

          45%

          q

          p 12 percentage points

          45-54

          33%

          48%

          p

          46%

          q

          p 13 percentage points

          55-64

          35%

          47%

          p

          48%

          p

          p 13 percentage points

          65-74

          34%

          48%

          p

          49%

          p

          p 15 percentage points

          75+

          27%

          40%

          p

          41%

          p

          p 14 percentage points

          Total

          32%

          46%

          p

          44%

          q

          p 12 percentage points


          Areas of Deprivation

          • People from the most deprived areas are less likely to be getting the recommended 5+ a day (39%), compared to those from the least deprived (54%)

          Young people and Diet [24]

          In 2019 (most up to date available data):

          • Only 18% of young people ate 5 or more portions of fruit and veg a day.
          • 5.7% ate no daily portions of fruit or veg.

          Read more on our Healthy Eating information page.

        • Adults [25]

          45% of adults are not meeting physical activity recommendations.

          • The Health Survey NI 2016/17 [25] was the last Health Survey to ask about physical exercise among adults. It reported that 55% of adults met the recommendations of at least 150 minutes of physical exercise per week.

          Males were more likely to meet the physical activity recommendations, and less likely to be inactive.

          • Men (61%) were more likely than women (51%) to meet recommendations.

          Less than half of 55+ are meeting recommendations for physical activity

          • About 4 in 10 adults reported having over four hours of sedentary time per day on weekdays (44%) and just over half had over four hours of sedentary time per day on weekends (54%).

          Those living in most deprived areas are less likely than those living in least deprived to meet recommendations

          • Just less than half of adults in the most deprived areas reported meeting physical activity guidelines (4r%) compared to almost two thirds in the least deprived areas (65%).


          Children and young people

          Children in Northern Ireland have the lowest physical activity of UK countries.

          • Only 13% of children are meeting daily recommendations [27, 28] - 20% of primary school pupils and 11% post-primary [28].
          • Primary school children are sedentary on average 5 hrs; post-primary 7 hrs a day [28].

          We are making progress, but slowly, in relation to children’s PA across the island of Ireland.

          • The 2022 Ireland North and South Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth [26,27] uses a grading system A-F to create a report card for physical activity (PA) across the island.
          • The 2022 Report Card has shown we are making progress in relation to children’s PA across the island of Ireland, but insufficient progress has been made in the area of disabilities. In 2022, for overall activity, the report gave a score of C-, improved slightly from a D.
          • Since 2016, for Northern Ireland there has been a decrease from C+ to a C in 2022 for Organised Sport and Physical Activity. Northern Ireland scores D- for “active transportation” – using bikes, walking etc. The card gave a score of F for physical activity specific to disabilities.
          • The Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity Study 2018 [28] reported that just 13% of children - 20% of primary school pupils and 11% post-primary - met the physical activity guidelines, with girls less likely to meet the targets when compared to boys. On average, primary and post-primary school pupils spent 5.0 and 6.9 hours a day in sedentary (i.e. sitting / not moving much) leisure time.

          Read more on our "Physical Inactivity" information page.

        • [1] Registrar General Annual Report 2021 Cause of Death | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (nisra.gov.uk)

          [2] Annual Report of the Registrar General 2021 (nisra.gov.uk)

          [3] QOF - Prevalence: Dashboard (nisra.gov.uk)

          [4] Remember, these are just the numbers on registers – this doesn’t include those people who are not on registers for whatever reason, including those who are not aware they have a condition.

          [5] Why are they increasing? This is a very complicated question to answer – many factors come into play. Our population is ageing. CVD risk increases with age. Risk factors such as obesity and diabetes, genetic factors, and lifestyle, also play a role. There are also complicated factors like deprivation and social inequalities playing their part. Also, better detection (like in AF) will see more people on the registers.

          [6] hs-episode-based-activity-stats-volume-2-downloadable-21-22.xls (live.com)

          [7] This number doesn’t include 280,317 people (about 15% of the population) who are registered as having hypertension (high blood pressure). If HT is included, 456,768, or about 24% of the population are registered as having circulatory conditions.

          [8] High blood pressure (hypertension) - NHS (www.nhs.uk); High blood pressure dangers: Hypertension's effects on your body - Mayo Clinichttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20045868

          [9] Focus on Atrial Fibrillation in Northern Ireland. An independent AF Inquiry into the identification and management of AF to reduce stroke risk - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. (NICHS 2020)

          [10] Prevalence is the proportion of the population with a particular condition at a certain point in time. It is a way of assessing the overall burden of a disease in the population.

          [11] SSNAP - National (strokeaudit.org)

          [12] LGD = Local Government District – these used to be called council areas.

          [13] Adult smoking habits in the UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

          [14] Young Persons’ Behaviour & Attitudes Survey | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (nisra.gov.uk)

          [15] Health Survey (Northern Ireland): First Results 2021/22 | Northern Ireland Executive

          [16] Young Persons Behaviour and Attitudes Survey 2019 - Substance Use - summary of key findings (health-ni.gov.uk)

          [17] Smoking Cessation Services (administrative geographies).ods (live.com)

          [18] Information to calculate drinking within weekly limits was not collected in 2012/13, 2014/15, 2016/17, 2018/19, 2020/21 & 2021/22.

          [19] Alcohol_Tables_2021 Final Revised.xlsx (live.com)

          [20] Smoking During Pregnancy (administrative geographies).ods (live.com)

          [21] BMI Levels - Health Survey (administrative geographies).ods (live.com)

          [22] Childhood BMI (administrative geographies).ods (live.com)

          [23] https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/PivotGrid.aspx?ds=9971&lh=73&yn=2010-2018&sk=134&sn=Health%20and%20Social%20Care&yearfilter=

          [24]https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/PivotGrid.aspx?ds=10236&lh=63&yn=2000,2003,2007,2010,2013,2016,2019&sk=134&sn=Health%20and%20Social%20Care&yearfilter=

          [25] Tables from health survey Northern Ireland | Department of Health (health-ni.gov.uk)

          [26] PA-Report-card-summary-final.pdf (hscni.net)

          [27] PA-Report-card-full-report-final.pdf (hscni.net)

          [28] https://www.activehealthykids.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ireland-report-card-long-form-2016.pdf

        • The most up to date annual statistics were used where available. Data appearing within research reports or studies are correct at the time of publishing. Where we state the number of people “living with Chest Heart and Stroke conditions”, this refers to people on registers for conditions, and does not include people on hypertension register. As people can appear on multiple registers, this cannot be taken to be a head count.