Cardiac arrest is a time-critical emergency. In the United States, more than 356,000 people experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year, and survival to hospital discharge for adults was 10.2% in 2023. These CPR statistics also show the practical difference a bystander can make: immediate CPR can double or triple survival chances, while an AED shock in the first minute is associated with survival for nine in ten recipients.
Contents
- The scale and outcome of cardiac arrest
- Bystander CPR and AED use
- Why timing changes outcomes
- Adult, child, and infant CPR guidance
- What high-quality compressions look like
- Hospital cardiac arrest survival
The scale and outcome of cardiac arrest
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 356,000 people have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States every year. The American Heart Association’s CPR Fact Sheet 2025 gives a closely related estimate of approximately 350,000 U.S. out-of-hospital cardiac arrests annually. The AHA’s CPR Facts & Stats also describes more than 350,000 cardiac arrests outside hospitals each year.
These figures describe annual event counts, not the number of people who survive. The CDC reports that about 60% to 80% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients die before reaching the hospital. The AHA CPR Fact Sheet 2025 states that out-of-hospital cardiac arrest results in death 90% of the time, while the AHA CPR & AED Awareness material similarly says about 90% of people who suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die.
The AHA’s 2025 Statistics Update Fact Sheet reports 10.2% survival to hospital discharge for adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in 2023. For a different measurement period, the AHA CPR Facts & Stats reports 9.1% survival to hospital discharge in 2021 among adults treated by emergency medical services for non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Those percentages should be read as separate year-specific measures rather than as one continuous estimate.
The AHA CPR Facts & Stats reports 436,852 U.S. deaths from sudden cardiac arrest in 2020 when any mention of sudden cardiac arrest was counted. That 2020 mortality figure is a different measure from the annual number of out-of-hospital arrest events. The AHA also states that, globally, cardiac arrest kills more people than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, influenza, pneumonia, automobile accidents, HIV, firearms, and house fires combined.
The AHA’s 2025 CPR and emergency cardiovascular care guidelines were the first full revision since 2020 and were published in October 2025 in Circulation, according to the AHA CPR Fact Sheet 2025. The AHA has set a goal of doubling survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest for everyone, as reported in its 2023 “Nation of Lifesavers” newsroom material.
Bystander CPR and AED use
Bystander action remains an important gap in out-of-hospital response. In 2023, bystander CPR was provided in 40.2% of more than 356,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases, according to the AHA CPR Facts & Stats. The AHA Adult Basic Life Support Guidelines 2025 reports a related 2023 figure of 47.7% for adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases. Because the sources describe different populations or reporting definitions, the figures should not be combined into a single rate.
The same AHA adult guideline reports that a bystander used an automated external defibrillator in 7.9% of adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases in 2023. The AHA AED Fact Sheet 2023 gives a 10.2% figure for public arrests in which an AED was applied by a bystander. Again, the population differs: one statistic concerns adult out-of-hospital cases, while the other specifically concerns public arrests.
The AHA AED Fact Sheet 2023 also reports that 28.7% of CARES patients were defibrillated in the field in 2021. It states that nine in ten cardiac arrest victims who receive an AED shock in the first minute live. The same fact sheet says survival while waiting for EMS during a cardiac emergency decreases by 10% every minute without CPR. These statistics support a simple preparedness priority: begin CPR and use an available AED while emergency help is being activated.
CPR does not benefit everyone equally in every setting. The AHA’s “What is CPR” material reports that men were 1.23 times more likely than women to receive bystander CPR in public, and that men had a 23% higher chance of survival than women when CPR was provided in public. These are public-arrest comparisons, not a general claim about every cardiac arrest location.
Confidence to act has also been measured. An AHA survey reported that the share of people confident to perform any type of CPR rose from 33% to 39%. The AHA described that increase as equivalent to 17.7 million more Americans feeling confident to act. Confidence is not a substitute for training, but it can affect whether a witness starts compressions before professional responders arrive.
Why timing changes outcomes
The timing of the first response matters. The AHA reports that immediate CPR can double or even triple the chance of survival. In research summarized by the AHA, CPR started within the first two minutes of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest had the highest chance for survival and preservation of brain function.
The timing evidence is not limited to a two-minute window. The AHA reports that some benefit from CPR could still be gained when aid was given within 10 minutes of collapse. A nearly 200,000-case study of witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest measured outcomes across time windows up to 10 minutes, according to the AHA’s summary “Bystander CPR up to 10 minutes may protect brain function.” The practical implication is not to wait for ideal conditions: a late response may still be more useful than no response.
Children show a similar relationship between early action and outcome. Among 10,991 children with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, about half—5,446—received bystander CPR, according to the AHA’s “Quick CPR from lay rescuers can nearly double survival for children after cardiac arrest.” The AHA reports that CPR performed within five minutes of a child’s heart stopping nearly doubled survival chances. It also states that bystander CPR can nearly double survival for children when it is delivered quickly after arrest.
The available figures can be summarized without treating unlike measures as interchangeable:
| Measure | Reported figure | Measurement period or scope |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. out-of-hospital cardiac arrests | More than 356,000 annually | CDC annual estimate |
| Adult survival to hospital discharge | 10.2% | U.S., 2023 |
| Adult EMS-treated non-traumatic survival to discharge | 9.1% | U.S., 2021 |
| Bystander CPR in adult out-of-hospital cases | 47.7% | U.S., 2023 |
| Bystander AED use in adult out-of-hospital cases | 7.9% | U.S., 2023 |
| Adult in-hospital survival to discharge | 23.6% | 2023 Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation data |
Adult, child, and infant CPR guidance
For an adult sudden collapse, the AHA says lay rescuers who are untrained or unwilling to provide breaths should perform compression-only CPR. Its “What is CPR” material likewise identifies compression-only CPR as appropriate for an adult sudden collapse when the rescuer is untrained or unwilling to ventilate. This guidance is specifically for adult sudden collapse; it does not mean breaths are unnecessary in every emergency.
Conventional adult CPR uses a 30:2 compression-to-breath ratio, according to the AHA’s “What is CPR.” For infants and children, the AHA Pediatric Basic Life Support guidance recommends conventional CPR with compressions and breaths rather than compression-only CPR. The AHA CPR Fact Sheet 2025 says CPR with breaths remains recommended for infants, children, drowning, drug overdose, and collapse from respiratory causes.
When an adult has an advanced airway, the AHA Summary of High-Quality CPR recommends continuous compressions at 100 to 120 per minute. It pairs that with one breath every six seconds, or 10 breaths per minute. For children and infants with advanced airways, the recommended ventilation rate is one breath every two to three seconds, or 20 to 30 breaths per minute.
Compression depth also differs by age group. The AHA Summary of High-Quality CPR specifies at least 5 cm for adults. For children, it specifies about 5 cm, or one-third of the chest’s anterior-posterior diameter. For infants, it specifies about 4 cm, or one-third of the chest’s anterior-posterior diameter. The AHA High Quality CPR material gives the adult minimum as at least 50 mm, or 2 inches.
What high-quality compressions look like
The AHA High Quality CPR guidance sets a compression rate of 100 to 120 per minute for adults, children, and infants. For adults, it sets a depth of at least 2 inches, or 50 mm. Its “What is CPR” material limits adult compression depth to no more than 2.4 inches, or 6 cm. Taken together, the adult guidance defines both a minimum depth and an upper limit.
The AHA also says chest compressions should be interrupted as little as possible to maximize perfusion. That principle matters because a technically correct compression rate is less useful if compressions are frequently stopped. In an emergency, rescuers should follow dispatcher and trained-responder instructions while maintaining effective compressions as continuously as practical.
For adults with an advanced airway, continuous compressions at 100 to 120 per minute and 10 breaths per minute are the paired figures in the AHA summary. For children and infants with advanced airways, the corresponding ventilation figure is 20 to 30 breaths per minute. These advanced-airway figures should not be confused with the conventional adult 30:2 ratio.
Hospital cardiac arrest survival
In-hospital cardiac arrest has different reported outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The AHA Executive Summary 2025 reports survival to hospital discharge of 23.6% for adults in the 2023 Get With The Guidelines-Resuscitation data. The same source reports that 79.2% of adult in-hospital cardiac arrest survivors had a favorable neurologic outcome at hospital discharge in 2023.
Pediatric in-hospital outcomes in the same AHA summary were higher than the adult in-hospital figure. Survival to hospital discharge for pediatric in-hospital cardiac arrest reached 45.2% in 2023, compared with 18.9% in 2000. That is an increase of 26.3 percentage points across the stated 2000-to-2023 period, and the AHA describes the 2023 rate as more than double the 2000 rate.
These hospital figures are not a substitute for out-of-hospital survival statistics. They describe arrests occurring in a clinical setting, where monitoring, trained staff, equipment, and rapid treatment are available. For an emergency outside a hospital, the most relevant response remains early recognition, activation of emergency services, immediate CPR, and rapid AED use when available.