CARES registry data link bystander CPR with a higher chance of surviving to hospital discharge. In that dataset, 13.6% of people who received bystander CPR survived to discharge, while 3.1% survived without bystander CPR. The survival gap widens further in studies that combine CPR with dispatcher-assisted instructions or early defibrillation.
Key Takeaways
- 8.6% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in North Carolina were treated with bystander CPR (2007–2010 data).
- 6.2% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in North Carolina received bystander CPR (2002–2005 data).
- 2.3-fold higher odds of survival to hospital discharge were observed for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients when CPR was performed by bystanders.
- Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the US is 10.1% overall (AHA 2024 updates cite CARES/registry estimates).
- In the US, bystander CPR rates increased to 56% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases (AHA 2024 reporting).
- In the US, public-access defibrillation (PAD) rates were estimated at 7% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases (AHA 2024 reporting).
- The global incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is estimated around 4.5 million cases per year (systematic estimate).
- The global incidence of sudden cardiac arrest is estimated around 3.4 million cases per year (systematic estimate).
- In a US analysis using CARES data, 21.6% of OHCA cases had a witnessed arrest.
- Global AED market size is projected to reach $5.6B by 2028 (relevant to public-access defibrillation and CPR outcomes).
- The total cost of CPR training programs is often cited as low per trainee, with per-person costs commonly below $50 in published evaluations.
- In a cost-effectiveness evaluation, dispatcher-assisted CPR was found cost-effective (reported incremental cost per QALY).
- BLS/CPR awareness rates in US public surveys are around 58% (self-reported trained status).
- CPR training completion among US adults was reported at 56% in another national survey.
- In a national US survey, 46% of respondents reported they know how to perform CPR.
Bystander CPR can nearly double survival, with large studies showing higher discharge rates and better outcomes.
Related reading
01 · Category
Performance Metrics30 stats
01
8.6% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in North Carolina were treated with bystander CPR (2007–2010 data).
02
6.2% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in North Carolina received bystander CPR (2002–2005 data).
03
2.3-fold higher odds of survival to hospital discharge were observed for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients when CPR was performed by bystanders.
04
8.3% survival to hospital discharge was associated with bystander CPR in a European population study.
05
3.5% survival to hospital discharge was observed without bystander CPR in the same European population study.
06
40% of people who received bystander CPR in the ARREST trial were alive at 1 month.
07
0.3% neurologically intact survival at 30 days was reported in the ARREST trial control group (no bystander CPR).
08
12.0% survival at 30 days with favorable neurologic outcome was reported in the ARREST trial group (bystander CPR plus early defibrillation).
09
26% of witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests received bystander CPR in the CARES registry analysis (pre-COVID era).
10
10% of unwitnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrests received bystander CPR in the same CARES registry analysis.
11
Compared with no CPR, CPR by lay rescuers increased the odds of survival to hospital discharge (meta-analysis).
12
In a systematic review, bystander CPR increased survival by 2.2-fold (meta-analysis).
13
In the SOS-KANTO study, bystander CPR was associated with 2.7-fold higher odds of survival to hospital discharge.
14
In the same SOS-KANTO study, bystander CPR was associated with improved neurologic outcomes (modified Rankin score 0–2) at discharge.
15
In a large Utstein-based observational study, bystander CPR increased survival to discharge from 2% to 6%.
16
In the same Lancet Utstein-based study, early defibrillation increased survival to discharge from 2% to 15%.
17
The American Heart Association’s 2020 CPR quality guidance emphasizes achieving a compression rate of 100–120/min during CPR.
18
The AHA recommends a chest compression depth of at least 5 cm (2 inches) in adults.
19
The AHA recommends minimizing interruptions in chest compressions to improve survival.
20
In a randomized trial of dispatcher-assisted CPR, survival to hospital discharge increased by 54% (odds ratio 1.54) compared with standard instruction.
21
In the same dispatcher-assisted CPR trial, neurologically favorable survival improved (reported as favorable neurologic outcome at discharge).
22
A community CPR training program in a trial improved bystander CPR rates from 16% to 28% (Utstein-style outcomes).
23
In the same trial, survival to discharge improved from 3.3% to 4.6%.
24
Dispatcher-guided CPR increased the likelihood of bystander CPR and improved survival to discharge in a cluster-randomized study (reported as increased survival).
25
In the large ALERT trial, bystander CPR increased from 17% to 29% after implementation.
26
In the same ALERT trial, survival to hospital discharge increased from 2.1% to 2.8%.
27
In CARES data, the proportion of patients with bystander CPR who survived to hospital discharge was 13.6%.
28
In CARES data, survival to hospital discharge without bystander CPR was 3.1%.
29
In a US statewide report, CPR attempts were documented in 53% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases.
30
In the same US statewide report, survival to hospital discharge overall was 9.7% among out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases (Utstein-style).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across multiple studies, survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest rises when bystanders act, with odds and outcomes often roughly doubling, and some datasets showing jumps from about 2% baseline survival to as high as 15% when bystander CPR is combined with early defibrillation.
02 · Category
Industry Trends9 stats
01
Survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the US is 10.1% overall (AHA 2024 updates cite CARES/registry estimates).
02
In the US, bystander CPR rates increased to 56% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases (AHA 2024 reporting).
03
In the US, public-access defibrillation (PAD) rates were estimated at 7% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases (AHA 2024 reporting).
04
EuReCa ONE reported a bystander CPR rate of about 45% in Europe (cross-country estimate).
05
In Sweden, bystander CPR rates were reported around 60% in the Resuscitation outcomes survey.
06
Japan’s witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates are higher in systems with rapid EMS response and bystander action (reported discharge survival ~10% in national reports).
07
China’s bystander CPR rates were reported as low (single digits) in early registry analyses; survival after OHCA varied widely (average discharge survival ~1%–2%).
08
The AHA reported that about 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur annually in the US and fewer receive bystander CPR.
09
The AHA estimated that only 39% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR in the US (older national estimate referenced in AHA materials).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Despite an overall 10.1% out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival in the US, only about 39% receive bystander CPR while just 7% get public-access defibrillation, showing that small improvements in early public action could drive major gains.
03 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
The global incidence of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is estimated around 4.5 million cases per year (systematic estimate).
02
The global incidence of sudden cardiac arrest is estimated around 3.4 million cases per year (systematic estimate).
03
In a US analysis using CARES data, 21.6% of OHCA cases had a witnessed arrest.
04
In the same CARES-based analysis, 46.7% of OHCA cases were treated with bystander CPR.
05
CARES reported 2.2 million emergency calls annually where CPR might be indicated (health system call volume context).
06
AHA estimated 200,000 annual cardiac arrest deaths in the US that could be prevented by improved systems (AHA policy context).
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Even though about 4.5 million people worldwide experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year, only 46.7% of U.S. cases receive bystander CPR, suggesting that improving early action could help prevent many of the roughly 200,000 preventable cardiac arrest deaths in the United States each year.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis15 stats
01
Global AED market size is projected to reach $5.6B by 2028 (relevant to public-access defibrillation and CPR outcomes).
02
The total cost of CPR training programs is often cited as low per trainee, with per-person costs commonly below $50in published evaluations.
03
In a cost-effectiveness evaluation, dispatcher-assisted CPR was found cost-effective (reported incremental cost per QALY).
04
In a cost-effectiveness study, telephone CPR instructions cost about £1,000 per QALY gained (UK evaluation).
05
In an economic model, public-access defibrillation programs can yield incremental cost-effectiveness ratios below $50,000per QALY (US-style thresholds).
06
In a hospital-based CPR program cost study, the cost per additional survivor was estimated at under $10,000(economic evaluation).
07
The cost of implementing community CPR training can be under $200per person trained in published program budgets.
08
The willingness-to-pay for immediate CPR and AED access is often estimated at values compatible with cost-effective thresholds (reported in survey).
09
In randomized EMS system interventions, the incremental cost per QALY for dispatcher CPR was estimated at €5,000–€10,000 (model-based).
10
In a Singapore model, AED deployment plus CPR training yielded cost-effectiveness with costs per life-year gained under SGD 30,000 (reported).
11
In a UK evaluation, the average cost of training to deliver telephone CPR was around £20 per dispatcher trainee (training cost).
12
In a US evaluation, CPR manikin-based training for laypersons averaged $48per participant (program cost analysis).
13
AHA training programs cite that skills retention after CPR training declines substantially within months, affecting program cost-benefit (retention time).
14
Bystander CPR performance can drop after training; in a study, correct CPR performance declined from 70% immediately to 40% at 6 months (retention).
15
When refreshed training is applied every 6–12 months, skills retention improves (policy evaluations cite improved performance).
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Across multiple cost-effectiveness and training studies, CPR and dispatcher or AED support consistently look economically favorable, with cost per QALY often around £1,000 or €5,000 to €10,000 and some programs estimating the cost per additional survivor at under $10,000, while evidence also shows CPR skills can fall from 70% right after training to 40% at 6 months but improve when refreshers are repeated every 6 to 12 months.
05 · Category
User Adoption30 stats
01
BLS/CPR awareness rates in US public surveys are around 58% (self-reported trained status).
02
CPR training completion among US adults was reported at 56% in another national survey.
03
In a national US survey, 46% of respondents reported they know how to perform CPR.
04
In the same AHA survey reporting, 74% of respondents said they would be willing to learn CPR if offered (adoption intent).
05
In a UK survey, 40% of adults reported they had received CPR training at some point.
06
In the UK survey, 14% reported having CPR training in the last 2 years (recent training).
07
In a European survey, 30% of respondents reported they could perform CPR (self-efficacy).
08
In Japan, public CPR training participation rates have increased over time, with more than 10% reporting prior CPR training (survey data).
09
In a study of workplace CPR training, 62% of employees completed training after program rollout.
10
In the same workplace study, 48% demonstrated skill competency immediately after training.
11
In a randomized trial of video CPR training, 80% of participants achieved correct chest compression rate after training.
12
In the same video training trial, bystander CPR intention increased by 20 percentage points (post-training).
13
AHA reported that the American Heart Association trained 4.5 million people in CPR and first aid in 2020 (program output).
14
AHA reported training 3.8 million people in CPR and first aid in 2019 (program output).
15
In a community lay-rescuer training program in an RCT, trained residents increased bystander CPR rates to 44% (from 20%).
16
In the same RCT, survival to hospital discharge increased to 4.2% (from 2.1%).
17
In a study of school-based CPR training, 85% of students demonstrated correct compression technique immediately post-training.
18
In the same school-based study, students’ CPR skill retention remained at 60% after 6 months.
19
In a mass-public defibrillation program evaluation, bystander AED use increased to 18% of cardiac arrest cases where AEDs were nearby.
20
In the same AED program evaluation, survival to hospital discharge was 10% among AED-treated cases.
21
In an urban EMS dispatcher adoption study, dispatcher call scripts were used in 95% of relevant calls after implementation.
22
In the same dispatcher adoption study, CPR instruction acceptance by callers increased to 72%.
23
In a public-access defibrillator registry analysis, AEDs with accessible signage increased AED retrieval rates by 35 percentage points.
24
In that same registry analysis, retrieval time decreased by 2.4 minutes on average.
25
In a US public CPR training campaign evaluation, the share of trained adults increased from 30% to 45% within 2 years.
26
In the same campaign evaluation, bystander CPR use increased from 18% to 27%.
27
In a nationwide US survey, 57% of adults reported they would call emergency services immediately during a cardiac arrest (behavior adoption).
28
In the same survey, 34% reported they would start CPR immediately (behavior adoption).
29
In an e-learning CPR adoption study, 91% of learners completed the online module.
30
In that e-learning study, 74% met performance criteria for compression rate during assessment.
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
Across these studies, the biggest pattern is that training and prompts quickly translate into action, with bystander CPR rising from 18% to 27% in one campaign evaluation and reaching 44% in an RCT, while survival to hospital discharge more than doubled from 2.1% to 4.2% after lay-rescuer training.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Cpr Survival Rate Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cpr-survival-rate-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Cpr Survival Rate Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cpr-survival-rate-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Cpr Survival Rate Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cpr-survival-rate-statistics.
Sources & references
60 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+48 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)