60 Percent of Women May Have Cardiovascular Disease by 2050

A new report highlights the growing health crisis, and experts share advice on how to lower your risks

Kristen Fischer,

AARP

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Published February 25, 2026

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The threat of heart attacks and strokes is rising for women in the U.S., new research shows.

By 2050, nearly 60 percent of women are predicted to have high blood pressure, a key risk factor for heart disease, up from about half in 2020. And the share of women ages 22 to 44 with some form of cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure is projected to climb to nearly one‑third, compared with less than one quarter today, according to a Feb. 25 report in Circulation.

Other conditions that can affect heart health are also expected to increase in prevalence in the coming decades. According to the study, more than 25 percent of women are expected to have diabetes in 2050, up from 15 percent, and more than 60 percent could have obesity, up from 44 percent.

These changes are “really setting up an entire generation to have cardiovascular disease earlier in life,” says Dr. Karen E. Joynt Maddox, a professor of medicine and public health at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. And they will likely present health care challenges such as caring for more people after cardiac events, she adds.

What is cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease includes heart disease, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and heart failure, which can raise your risk of stroke, heart attack and sudden cardiac death.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Nearly 45 percent of women over the age of 20 had some form of cardiovascular disease between 2017 and 2020.

Disparities persist

Racial disparities in cardiovascular disease will continue to grow in the coming decades, the report notes.

High blood pressure will increase the most among Hispanic women, rising by more than 15 percent. Obesity will spike the most among Asian women, up by nearly 26 percent in 2050. Additionally, more than 70 percent of Black women will have high blood pressure, more than 71 percent will have obesity, and nearly 28 percent will have diabetes, the report found.

“There’s a significant racial ethnic component [in cardiovascular disease risk],” says Dr. Kardie Tobb, medical director of the Women’s Heart Health & Cardio-Obstetrics Clinic at Cone Health in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Lower your cardiovascular risk

“Even people who do everything right can still develop cardiovascular disease,” says Maddox, whose mother developed heart disease in her 70s after living a mostly healthy life.

Still, it’s not inevitable with age, and there are things you can do to help prevent it.

Know your numbers

Start by knowing your key numbers for heart disease risk factors, such as your blood pressure and lipoprotein(a) levels (a genetically inherited risk factor).

“Women are already at increased risk for so many of these health conditions due to factors unique to them throughout their lifespan,” Dr. Stacey E. Rosen, volunteer president of the American Heart Association and executive director of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health and senior vice president of women’s health at Northwell Health in New York City, said in a news release. “Significant health changes during pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause make it particularly important to pay close attention to increases in health risk factors during those times.”

Change the risk factors you can

Take a look at your health habits to be sure you’re doing all you can, Tobb says. For instance, aim for 150 minutes of exercise per week. If you have trouble walking, jogging, biking, or doing other forms of exercise, consider other workouts, such as chair exercises.

This new Circulation study comes on the heels of a report showing that having less arterial plaque than men doesn’t shield women from heart attacks or chest pain. In fact, the risk increases more rapidly after menopause, according to a Feb. 23 study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging.

A 2022 report showed that people who met exercise guidelines for moderate physical activity had a 22 to 25 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Those who exercised two to four times that much had a 28 to 38 percent lower risk.

Quitting smoking is another huge way to lower your cardiovascular disease risk, and your doctor can support you with tools such as medication.

Diet can play a large part in prevention, too, Tobb adds. Opt for whole grains over refined carbohydrates; prioritize healthy proteins such as beans, salmon and poultry; choose healthy fats; steer clear of processed foods and red meat; and avoid sodium, Tobb says.

It doesn’t take a big change to see meaningful results, experts say. For example, reducing sodium intake is “one of the easiest things to modify,” says Dr. Tamar Polonsky, an associate professor of medicine and director of preventive cardiology at the University of Chicago Medicine. A recent study found that older adults who cut about a teaspoon of salt from their daily diet over one week lowered their systolic blood pressure (the top number) by about 6 mm Hg.

In addition to taking care of yourself, modeling healthy habits for other family members can help stall or reverse these trends, especially if you’re in a multigenerational household, Polonsky says. When people start healthy habits earlier in life, they’re more likely to stick with them, she adds.

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Kristen Fischer is a contributing writer at AARP based at the Jersey Shore. She has also written for Health, WebMD, and McKnights and is the author of Zoo Zen: A Yoga Story for Kids.