CPR facts · October 2026
Fewer than half of Americans who have a cardiac arrest outside a hospital get CPR from a bystander, and about 1 in 10 survive.
The key numbers
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Non-traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the U.S. each year | More than 250,000 | American Red Cross |
| Share that happen at home | Just over 70% | American Red Cross |
| Patients who received bystander CPR | 42% (2024 data) | AHA 2026 Statistics Update |
| Survival to hospital discharge | 10.5% (2024 data) | AHA 2026 Statistics Update |
| Bystander CPR and survival, 2013–2025 combined | 41.3% and 10.2% of 1,269,409 cases | CARES registry |
Immediate CPR can triple the chance of survival, and the chance falls by about 10% for every minute CPR and an AED are delayed, according to the American Red Cross.
Why bystander CPR rates stay low
A 2025 survey of 632 people in high-risk, low-resource U.S. communities asked what would stop them from giving CPR. The most common answers were fear of doing it wrong because of too little training (67%), fear of hurting the person (56%) and fear of being sued if the person dies (53%). 62% had never learned CPR.
Most of these barriers are about confidence, and confidence comes from practice. Because most arrests happen at home, the person nearby is usually a family member, not a stranger.
What helps
- Hands-on practice with feedback. The 2025 AHA guidelines recommend feedback devices during CPR training for lay rescuers (Class 1).
- Short refreshers. The same guidelines recommend booster sessions and say spaced learning is reasonable, instead of one long class every few years.
- Training close to home and work. Small centers with flexible hours make it easier to fit a class in. AUTOCPR centers are built for this, with smart manikins that measure every compression.