Myocardial infarction is both common and consequential, shaped by risk factors you can change and by how fast care is delivered. Across the page, you’ll track how MI contributes to population burden and costs, what happens after the event (including recurrence and death), and which post-MI therapies—like antiplatelet and lipid-targeting treatment—support recovery. You’ll also see system performance measures, from timely reperfusion to care that starts within the first day.
Key Takeaways
- 106.7 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from ischemic heart disease in 2019 (burden including myocardial infarction)
- USD 17.3 billion direct medical costs for acute myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease in the U.S. in 2019
- USD 44.6 billion total economic costs for cardiovascular disease in the U.S. in 2016 (includes events such as myocardial infarction)
- 7% 30-day mortality for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in modern registries after reperfusion
- Approximately 10% of patients with myocardial infarction experience recurrent MI within 1 year
- 5–8% rate of in-hospital reinfarction among acute MI patients in contemporary observational cohorts
- 81% of cardiovascular drug approvals in 2021 were for lipid or platelet-targeting therapies relevant to post-MI management
- 2023 U.S. generic drug share is 92% by prescriptions (statin and antiplatelet generics drive affordability in post-MI therapy)
- FDA approval of tenecteplase for STEMI: accelerated thrombolysis option used when PCI is unavailable (approval-based adoption quantification varies; approval supports market availability)
- 62% of STEMI patients received reperfusion therapy within guideline-recommended time windows in selected registry settings (system-performance metric)
- Door-to-balloon median time was 90 minutes or less in benchmarking programs targeting 90-minute performance
- Every 10-minute improvement in door-to-balloon time is associated with lower short-term mortality (observed relationship quantified in registry analyses)
- Nearly 5% of U.S. adults have had heart attack (self-reported); used as a proxy for myocardial infarction prevalence in population surveys
- About 40% of adults in the U.S. have hypertension (a major risk factor for MI)
- In INTERHEART, 9 modifiable risk factors accounted for about 90% of the risk of acute myocardial infarction worldwide
In the US, myocardial infarction remains a major burden, driving huge costs, deaths, and frequent recurrence despite modern care.
Related reading
01 · Category
Clinical Outcomes19 stats
01
7% 30-day mortality for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in modern registries after reperfusionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6022839/
02
Approximately 10% of patients with myocardial infarction experience recurrent MI within 1 yearhttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000802
03
5–8% rate of in-hospital reinfarction among acute MI patients in contemporary observational cohortshttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa035777
04
12-month mortality after myocardial infarction is about 15% in high-risk subgroups, reflecting prognostic stratification used in clinical risk modelshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279134/
05
About 20% of patients with myocardial infarction develop heart failure within 1–5 yearshttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.018910
06
Time-to-treatment is critical: each 30-minute delay to reperfusion is associated with increased mortality after STEMIhttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/01.CIR.0000108864.03221.1A
07
Door-to-balloon time targets: ≤90 minutes for primary PCI in STEMIhttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000931
08
Door-to-needle time target: ≤30 minutes for fibrinolysis in STEMI when PCI cannot be achieved promptlyhttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000808
09
Secondary prevention adherence: 70%+ of eligible MI patients should be on high-intensity statins per modern guideline targets; rates vary by systemhttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001035
10
About 30% of patients have persistent angina symptoms after MI due to residual ischemiahttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.109.904743
11
Approximately 50% of early recurrent symptoms after MI are linked to incomplete revascularization and microvascular dysfunctionhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5925706/
12
2.2 million cardiac rehabilitation participants in the U.S. (annual participants) indicates substantial access to post-MI secondary prevention pathways (cardiac rehab enrollment).https://www.journals.elsevier.com/clinical-journal-of-sport-medicine
13
33% relative reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) with PCSK9 inhibitors compared with control in large outcome trials pooled in systematic review (effect size for post-ACS/secondary prevention populations).https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01846-8/fulltext
14
7.3% absolute reduction in mortality with early invasive strategy vs conservative strategy in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome, including NSTEMI populations (pooled estimate from major randomized evidence).https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1904714
15
1–3% risk of recurrent MI within 30 days after discharge among patients treated with drug-eluting stents in contemporary PCI registries (30-day recurrent MI incidence).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109719313313
16
0.8% per year incidence of new-onset heart failure after MI in population-based follow-up cohorts (annualized HF incidence).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0735109719320756
17
4.0% of patients with myocardial infarction experienced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within 30 dayshttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2308027
18
7.0% of patients with myocardial infarction experienced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within 1 yearhttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2308027
19
12.0% of patients with myocardial infarction experienced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within 1–5 yearshttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2308027
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
From a clinical outcomes perspective, survival gains after myocardial infarction are strongly time dependent and risk remains substantial, with about 7% 30-day mortality after STEMI reperfusion, roughly 10% recurrent MI within a year, 5 to 8% in-hospital reinfarction, and around 20% developing heart failure within 1 to 5 years.
report visual · Comparison
Post–Myocardial Infarction MACE by Time Horizon
MACE accumulates over time: patients experience MACE within 1 year at a higher rate than at 30 days, and the dominant share occurs by 1–5 years (leader: 1–5 years), creating the la
12.0% of patients with myocardial infarction experienced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within 1–5 years12.0%
7.0% of patients with myocardial infarction experienced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within 1 year
7.0%
4.0% of patients with myocardial infarction experienced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) within 30 days
4.0%
source-verifiednejm.org
02 · Category
Health System Performance9 stats
01
62% of STEMI patients received reperfusion therapy within guideline-recommended time windows in selected registry settings (system-performance metric)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6469017/
02
Door-to-balloon median time was 90 minutes or less in benchmarking programs targeting 90-minute performancehttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0b013e3181f2f2e5
03
Every 10-minute improvement in door-to-balloon time is associated with lower short-term mortality (observed relationship quantified in registry analyses)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4080680/
04
In US hospital systems, the proportion of eligible patients receiving aspirin within 24 hours after MI is commonly reported around 80%+ in quality measure reportinghttps://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/browse/redirect?tid=1&pid=0&rid=0&measureId=336&rank=1
05
In U.S. reporting, 76% of AMI patients receive smoking cessation advice at discharge (quality measure, varies by facility)https://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/browse/redirect?tid=1&pid=0&rid=0&measureId=164&rank=1
06
Tele-ECG adoption increased from near-zero to measurable coverage in pilot regions; in a randomized implementation study, prehospital ECG transmission improved time to reperfusion by 8 minutes on averagehttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1873961
07
In-hospital statin prescription after MI in the U.S. has been reported at ~80% in quality improvement datasetshttps://www.qualitymeasures.ahrq.gov/browse/redirect?tid=1&pid=0&rid=0&measureId=154&rank=1
08
Cardiac rehabilitation referral rates after MI in the U.S. have been reported near 50% (quality and access benchmark)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6669882/
09
One-way EMS transport times contribute to system delay; in a national analysis, median prehospital time for STEMI was about 80 minuteshttps://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.114.010356
Interpretation
Health System Performance Interpretation
In health system performance for myocardial infarction care, the evidence shows measurable gains with faster and more complete treatment, including 62% of STEMI patients receiving guideline-window reperfusion and door-to-balloon times at or under 90 minutes with every 10-minute improvement linked to lower short-term mortality.
03 · Category
Market & Therapies8 stats
01
81% of cardiovascular drug approvals in 2021 were for lipid or platelet-targeting therapies relevant to post-MI managementhttps://www.fda.gov/media/165476/download
02
2023 U.S. generic drug share is 92% by prescriptions (statin and antiplatelet generics drive affordability in post-MI therapy)https://www.fda.gov/drugs/generic-drugs/generic-drug-facts
03
FDA approval of tenecteplase for STEMI: accelerated thrombolysis option used when PCI is unavailable (approval-based adoption quantification varies; approval supports market availability)https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm?event=overview.process&ApplNo=103941
04
High-intensity statins reduce risk of recurrent MI by about 24% vs lower-intensity (trial evidence used in guideline-based secondary prevention)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0807646
05
Aspirin + a P2Y12 inhibitor reduces risk of recurrent events after MI; clopidogrel addition reduces major adverse events by about 20% in CURE-like populationshttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa010845
06
Cardiac troponin is the primary biomarker: modern assays detect troponin levels at femtomolar-to-nanomolar clinical ranges enabling diagnosis of MIhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7169796/
07
In the U.S., PCSK9 inhibitors were priced around USD 14,000/year list price (widely reported; used for market access planning)https://www.ajmc.com/view/pw-psck9-inhibitors-list-price-and-net-price-estimates
08
Rotational atherectomy is used in a minority of complex PCI procedures; in a large U.S. dataset it appeared in about 1–2% of PCI cases in recent yearshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9301056/
Interpretation
Market & Therapies Interpretation
Market and therapy trends for post myocardial infarction care are clearly dominated by lipid and platelet strategies, with 81% of 2021 cardiovascular drug approvals targeting these pathways and generic availability reaching 92% of U.S. prescriptions, making proven options like high intensity statins and dual antiplatelet therapy both clinically effective and increasingly accessible.
04 · Category
Disease Burden5 stats
01
106.7 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from ischemic heart disease in 2019 (burden including myocardial infarction)https://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool?params=gbd-api-2019-healthdata
02
USD 17.3 billion direct medical costs for acute myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease in the U.S. in 2019https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/about-us/statistics/impact-of-heart-disease-and-stroke-statistics/heart-disease-and-stroke-statistical-update/heart-disease-and-stroke-statistical-update-2023.pdf
03
USD 44.6 billion total economic costs for cardiovascular disease in the U.S. in 2016 (includes events such as myocardial infarction)https://www.heart.org/-/media/files/about-us/statistics/impact-of-heart-disease-and-stroke-statistics/heart-disease-and-stroke-statistical-update/heart-disease-and-stroke-statistical-update-2019.pdf
04
Approximately 30% of people with coronary heart disease in the U.S. are estimated to have experienced a myocardial infarctionhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2765270
05
Approximately 7.9 million people worldwide suffer acute myocardial infarction each year (global incidence estimate)https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)61225-0/fulltext
Interpretation
Disease Burden Interpretation
In the disease burden framing, ischemic heart disease produced 106.7 million DALYs in 2019, while the U.S. absorbed major costs with 17.3 billion in direct medical spending for acute myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease in 2019, showing that the health losses are matched by large and sustained economic impact.
05 · Category
Epidemiology & Risk3 stats
01
Nearly 5% of U.S. adults have had heart attack (self-reported); used as a proxy for myocardial infarction prevalence in population surveyshttps://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence/index.html
02
About 40% of adults in the U.S. have hypertension (a major risk factor for MI)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/heart-disease.htm
03
In INTERHEART, 9 modifiable risk factors accounted for about 90% of the risk of acute myocardial infarction worldwidehttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(04)16018-4/fulltext
Interpretation
Epidemiology & Risk Interpretation
From an Epidemiology and Risk perspective, the fact that nearly 5% of U.S. adults report a prior heart attack shows the real-world burden, while the high prevalence of hypertension at about 40% underscores a widespread risk factor that likely feeds into the broader finding that 9 modifiable risks account for around 90% of acute myocardial infarction risk worldwide.
06 · Category
Overview6 stats
01
≈90% of patients with acute MI are treated with an antiplatelet agent during hospitalization in U.S. practice (share receiving antiplatelet therapy during the index stay).https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7819984/
02
69% of eligible STEMI patients in a large contemporary registry received primary PCI (proportion treated with guideline-recommended primary PCI).https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.041100
03
12% of STEMI patients in a contemporary registry did not receive reperfusion therapy (percentage untreated due to contraindications or system factors).https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.042205
04
1 in 25 adults in the U.S. (about 4%) reported having had a heart attack (self-reported myocardial infarction) as of 2019–2022.https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/annual_data/annual_data.htm
05
About 50% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the U.S. are attributable to a cardiac cause, and myocardial infarction is a key driver of acute coronary syndromes leading to such arrests (share of cardiac vs non-cardiac arrest etiologies).https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.016076
06
$1.0 trillion is the estimated annual cost of cardiovascular disease in the U.S. in 2021 (includes costs associated with major cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction).https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001061
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the U.S. MI care pathway, most patients receive antiplatelet therapy during hospitalization (about 90%) while only 69% of eligible STEMI patients get guideline primary PCI and 12% receive no reperfusion, showing a large, actionable gap in how industry practices translate into optimal, guideline-driven treatment.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Myocardial Infarction Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/myocardial-infarction-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Myocardial Infarction Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/myocardial-infarction-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Myocardial Infarction Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/myocardial-infarction-statistics.
Sources & references
48 datasets cited across this report
+34 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)