Someone will have a stroke every three minutes without urgent action on prevention and care, warns the Stroke Association

Nearly 414 people will have a stroke every day in the UK – that's one person every three and a half minutes – by 2035 unless the public, NHS, and the Government tackle prevention.

The Stroke Association is expecting the number of people having a first or second stroke to increase to more than 151,000 a year by 2035.¹ Currently, 280 people have a stroke every day in the UK, which is one person every five minutes.[KP1]

Stroke destroys people’s lives and every day in the UK, it leaves around 240 survivors at risk of being unable to see, speak, move, or even swallow. It is also the fourth leading cause of death in the UK. As the UK’s population ages, more people are living with long-term conditions which increase the risk of stroke. This includes high blood pressure, which is the cause of around half of all strokes.

The Stroke Association is encouraging the public to help protect themselves against stroke by monitoring their blood pressure regularly and taking steps to keep it at a healthy level. This includes eating a healthy diet, not smoking or vaping, getting regular exercise, and not drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Blood pressure checks can be carried out by a GP, at a pharmacy, or at home with BP monitor kits costing around £20.

The societal cost of stroke is expected to soar as the number of people having strokes increases. This is due to increased demand for intense stroke rehabilitation and ongoing support as well as survivors being unable to work and the knock-on effects this has on them as well as on the lives of people who care for them.[JC2] [DL3] [JC4] [KP5]

So today, on Stroke Prevention Day, the Stroke Association wants the Government to take further steps to prioritise prevention of both first and recurrent strokes. [KP6] This is in addition to delivering the preventative measures outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan including new alcohol labelling, reduced junk food advertising, expanding the ‘sugar tax’ on soft drinks, improved access to weight loss medication, prohibiting sales of cigarettes to young people, and increasing taxes on vaping.

The charity is urging more people to attend the NHS health checks for people over 40 in England and Wales, as currently around two-thirds of those invited to an appointment don’t attend³. It also wants the Government to reform the appointments, so they are more effective and provide targeted support for people who need it, including education on the risk factors of stroke. This is especially for people with high blood pressure, which is checked at these appointments, and in underserved communities which are impacted by health inequalities.

Follow-up from these health checks also needs to be coupled with support for stroke survivors as one in four will go on to have another stroke. As two thirds of stroke survivors are also left with life-changing disability, ongoing rehabilitation must focus on their individual requirements.

Juliet Bouverie OBE, CEO of the Stroke Association, said[DM7] [JC8] : “As the nation’s health declines, the risk of stroke rises. The risk factors of stroke are silent killers as there’s a real lack of awareness about how smoking, poor diet, drinking a lot of alcohol, and not getting regular exercise causes high blood pressure and therefore stores problems up for later life. Already one in four people who have a stroke are of working age. Without preventative action, alongside improvements to stroke treatment, care and recovery, this will only get worse.

“The Government has set itself a target to reduce cardiovascular and stroke deaths by 25% over the next decade and we must also reduce the avoidable disability which many stroke survivors are left with. This is possible when there’s a real focus on preventing both primary and secondary strokes. NHS health checks are a perfect point of contact for this – and are a cost-effective option when public budgets are so thinly stretched. With affirmative action, we can stop the number of people having strokes from spiralling even further out of control.”[J(9] [J(10]

Recent data shows that the risk factors of stroke in adults are showing little sign of abating:⁴

• Since 1990, the number of obese adults worldwide has doubled
• A third of adults are physically inactive
• More older adults (aged 55 to 74) drink over the recommended 14 units of alcohol per week than any other age group with death rates from alcohol rising sharply since 2019
• Smoking is in decline and now outnumbered by people who vape, which is less damaging but still poses a health risk[KP11]

Mum-of-three Claire Arnopp, 40, from Welwyn Garden City had a stroke in December 2024 due to undiagnosed high blood pressure. She had gestational hypertension, which is high blood pressure during pregnancy, when she was expecting her youngest child and she took medication to help control it until Oscar was born. However, gestational hypertension can increase the risk of stroke in the future too, which Claire wasn’t aware of.

After Oscar was born and, in the months leading up to her stroke, Claire was struggling with stress, drinking a lot of alcohol and not eating a healthy diet. She believes this all contributed to her stroke, although she was also diagnosed with a PFO, a hole in the heart, which can cause stroke too.

Claire has transformed her life since the stroke as she doesn’t drink alcohol, has improved her diet and proactively manages her stress levels – all to keep her blood pressure low.

Claire said: “I had no idea how dangerous my blood pressure really was. I was walking around in blissful denial, not understanding that by not monitoring or managing it properly, I was putting my life at risk.

“I remember thinking that I was too young to have a stroke – but I was wrong. Strokes don’t just happen to other or older people. So, my message now is simple but urgent – don't ignore high blood pressure. Ask questions, get checked, and follow medical advice as small changes really do matter.”

The Stroke Association supports stroke survivors and their families by phone, at home, and in the community. Find out more at www.stroke.org.uk

ENDS

For more information, contact Jude Clay, PR Manager at the Stroke Association on 07834422040 or jude.clay@stroke.org.uk

Notes to Editors

References

1. SSNAP (https://www.strokeaudit.org/results/Clinical-audit/National-Results.aspx)

Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-stroke-improvement-programme/scottish-stroke-improvement-programme-annual-report-2025/)

Cost of Stroke report (https://www.stroke.org.uk/sites/default/files/costs_of_stroke_in_the_uk_summary_report_0.pdf)

2. https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/home/PressRelease/5290

3. https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/nhs-health-check-detailed/data#page/1/gid/1938132726/ati/15/iid/91040/age/219/sex/4/cat/-1/ctp/-1/yrr/1/cid/4/tbm/1

4.

• Obesity: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
• Alcohol consumption: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/health-survey-for-england/2022-part-1/adult-drinking
• Alcohol-related deaths: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/alcoholspecificdeathsintheuk/2021registrations
• Smoking and vaping https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bulletins/adultsmokinghabitsingreatbritain/2024
• Physical activity: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/obesity-profile-may-2025-update/obesity-profile-short-statistical-commentary-may-2025#:~:text=Physical%20activity%20and%20inactivity%20in,from%2018.0%25%20to%2020.8%25.

About the Stroke Association

• Over 85,000 people survive a stroke every year in the UK, but surviving a stroke is just the start of a long and gruelling recovery journey.
• Mums, dads, grandparents, young people, even children – anyone can have a stroke, and its impact is traumatic.
• Brain damage, caused by a stroke, can leave survivors unable to move, see, speak or even swallow.
• The Stroke Association is the only charity in the UK providing life-long support for all stroke survivors and their families. We provide tailored support to tens of thousands of stroke survivors each year, fund vital scientific research, and campaign to secure the best care for everyone affected by stroke.
• Anyone affected by stroke can visit stroke.org.uk or call our dedicated Stroke Support Helpline on 0303 3033 100 for information, guidance or a chat when times are tough.
• You can follow us on X, Facebook , Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn