Britain's hearts are most unhealthy they have been in more than 50 years

Britain's heart is in crisis, shocking new figures have revealed.

According to stats from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) the nation’s hearts have declined more quickly at the start of the 2020s than any other decade for more than 50 years. Analysis by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) found rising deaths among working-age adults from cardiovascular disease, increasing heart failure and growing risks from obesity and diabetes.

Cardiovascular deaths in working age adults have risen by 18% since 2019, from 18,693 to 21,975 in 2023, averaging 420 a week. Since 2020, the BHF has found a “worrying trend”, including a 21% rise in the number of people diagnosed with heart failure in the UK, to a record high of 785,000 in March 2024 from 650,000 in March 2020.

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They also found a 10% rise in the number of people diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, up to a record high of 1.62 million up from 1.48 million over the same time period and a 12% rise in the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, up to a record high of 4.6 million from 4.1 million.

The figures come on top of rising obesity across the board as health experts argue the needs to urgently ramp up capacity at its weight loss clinics so pills and jabs can be cheaply prescribed to much of the population as they come “off patent”.

The new analysis from the BHF also shows an 83% increase in people waiting for planned heart hospital treatment in England, from 232,082 at the start of the decade to 425,372 in March 2025. Cardiac waiting lists have also grown in , Wales and Northern Ireland.

The BHF said the shift follows decades of progress to nearly halve annual deaths from conditions such as heart attack and stroke since the 1960s. It said issues such as an increasingly unhealthy population, widening health inequalities, the impact of Covid, pressure on the and a lack of action over the last decade have all had an effect.

The family of tragic “fit and healthy” Matthew Clark, from Guilldford, who died from a sudden heart attack in January, 2023, aged just 46 know the terrible pain of losing a lvoed one to a heart problem.

The day it happened, the whole family were recovering from a stomach bug, so Jojo thought little of it when draughtsman Matthew initially complained of stomach pains and indigestion.

Neither thought it could be a problem with his heart.

Shortly afterwards, Matthew collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. His Jonna wife performed CPR for 11 minutes until the ambulance arrived and took Matthew to hospital. Tragically, he had a second cardiac arrest and could not be resuscitated.

Matthew’s post-mortem revealed he had asymptomatic coronary artery disease, which led to a heart attack and subsequent failure of the left bottom chamber of his heart.

Joanna, who was with Matthew for 15 years, said: “I always thought I knew the symptoms of a heart attack. You replay it in your mind hundreds of times, of what went wrong and when. However, the paramedics said Matthew’s chances of survival were almost zero as he had a full blockage in his coronary artery. The only way he would have survived is if I’d had a defibrillator in my hand the moment he collapsed.”

Her family has a family history of heart disease too. Her uncle died aged 46 of a heart attack, and her dad passed away in 2011 aged 64 following a triple heart bypass.

She has since been diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a genetic condition which causes high cholesterol levels.

Her two children, Molly, 10, and Eddie, seven, have now been screened for FH, and Molly is waiting for her test results to see if she has inherited the condition.

Joanna added: “Matthew was the cheekiest person I know, as well as the kindest and most charitable. I want to keep his memory alive by raising money for research into heart disease because of how many people it affects, and how quickly it can take someone away.”

Launching a new strategy, the BHF said focusing investment in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), data science and genomics could help revolutionise how the UK prevents and treats cardiovascular disease.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the charity, said: “It’s been the worst start to a decade for heart health for half a century, but we’re entering an era of immense scientific opportunity that can turn this tide.

“By driving a research revolution, we can reverse this worrying trend and save more lives than ever before.

“The BHF’s new strategy will be key to this, and the next step for us as we aim to save many more families the heartbreak of losing loved ones far too soon.”

By 2035, the charity wants the UK to prevent 125,000 heart attacks and strokes, reduce early deaths from cardiovascular disease by 25%, and cut the number of years lost to heart-related ill health by 25% by 2035.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We welcome this new strategy from the British Heart Foundation and value their contribution to our upcoming 10 Year Health Plan.

“We are tackling the root causes of poor heart health by clamping down on smoking and obesity, as part of our Plan for Change to shift care from sickness to prevention.

“We are also delivering more tests and scans in the community, alongside greater use of to help people manage their conditions closer to home and reduce hospital admissions."