Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer across the world, and 29 September was World Heart Day, an event that aims to raise awareness of the disease. The event is organised by the World Heart Federation, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO).

This following map shows the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease around the world per 100,000 people, based on 2012 WHO data. Cardiovascular disease is a collective term, encompassing heart disease and stroke.

Turkmenistan saw the highest rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease in 2012, with 712 deaths per 100,000 people. Kazakhstan has the second highest rate, with 635 deaths per 100,000. Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Guyana, Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the Republic of Moldova all have more than 500 deaths per 100,000.

Cardiovascular disease kills 17.3 million people a year – in comparison, HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis combined kill 3.86 million. The majority of these deaths are preventable, and despite preconceptions that men are more susceptible, women are in fact equally likely to be affected.

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Author: Joe Myers is a Digital Content Producer at Formative Content.

Image: A nurse in the trauma centre of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. October 4, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman