Heart Disease and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders

  • In 2014, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders were diagnosed with heart disease 13% more frequently than the total U.S. population.1
  • In 2022, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders died from major cardiovascular disease 21% less frequently than the total U.S. population.2
  • Heart-related health issues vary among the various Asian and Pacific Islander sub-populations.1
  • Recent national data related to heart disease for Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders is limited. Local data from states with high populations of Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders may be useful in illustrating disparities among certain populations.

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Diagnosis

Coronary heart disease among adults ages 18 and over, age-adjusted percentage, 2024
Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderTotal PopulationNative Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / 
Total Population Ratio
Not Reported5.0Not Reported
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults by Detailed Race and Ethnicity. Percentage of coronary heart disease for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2024.
Adults ages 18 and over with diagnosed coronary heart disease by Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander single race subgroup, age-adjusted percentage, 2014
PopulationPopulation /
Total Population Ratio
U.S. Total5.51.00
All NH/PI6.21.13
Native Hawaiian6.91.25
Pacific Islander6.61.20
Samoan7.71.40
Guamanian or Chamorro7.91.44
Other Pacific IslanderNot ReportedNot Reported
Source: CDC, 2017. National Center for Health Statistics. Health Conditions and Behaviors of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Persons in the United States, 2014. Table 5.

Death rates

Death due to major cardiovascular disease, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022
Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander /
Total Population Ratio
Male241.3297.70.81
Female204.2264.50.77
Both Sexes223.0281.00.79
Source: CDC, 2025. Deaths: Final Data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 74, No. 4. Table 10.
Death due to heart disease by U.S.-affiliated territory, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022
PopulationU.S. TotalPopulation /
Total Population Ratio
Guam313.4167.21.87
American SamoaNot Reported167.2Not Reported
Northern Marianas100.2167.20.60
Source: CDC, 2024. Deaths: Final Data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 74, No. 4. Table 17.

Hypertension

Adults ages 18 and over who have high blood pressure (diagnosed hypertension), percentage, 2024
Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderTotal PopulationNative Hawaiian/Pacific Islander /
Total Population Ratio
27.827.31.02
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of diagnosed hypertension for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2024.
Adults ages 18 and over with diagnosed high blood pressure (hypertension) by Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander single race subgroup, age-adjusted percentage, 2014
PopulationPopulation /
Total Population Ratio
U.S. Total24.51.00
All NH/PI27.41.12
Native Hawaiian26.01.06
Pacific Islander29.61.21
Samoan38.11.56
Guamanian or Chamorro31.61.29
Other Pacific Islander23.60.96
Source: CDC, 2017. National Center for Health Statistics. Health Conditions and Behaviors of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Persons in the United States, 2014. Table 5.
Adults with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control, percentage, 2017–2020
Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / 
Total Population Ratio
Not Reported16.1Not Reported
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Healthy People 2030. Adults with hypertension whose blood pressure is under control by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-20.

High cholesterol

Adults ages 18 and over who have high cholesterol, percentage, 2022-2024
Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / 
Total Population Ratio
16.823.00.73
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults by Detailed Race and Ethnicity. Percentage of high cholesterol for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2022–2024.
Adults who received a blood cholesterol measurement in the last five years, percentage, 2021
Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander /
Total Population Ratio
94.5Not ReportedNot Reported
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.

Cigarette smoking

Adults ages 18 and over who are current cigarette smokers, percentage, 2022-2024
Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander /
Total Population Ratio
10.510.80.97
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults by Detailed Race and Ethnicity. Percentage of current cigarette smoking for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2022–2024.
Adults ages 18 and over who were current e-cigarette users, percentage, 2022-2024
Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander / 
Total Population Ratio
15.86.52.4
Source: CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults by Detailed Race and Ethnicity. Percentage of current electronic cigarette use for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2022-2024.
Adult smokers who received advice from a health professional to quit, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific IslanderTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander /
Total Population Ratio
Not ReportedNot ReportedNot Reported
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.

1 CDC, 2017. National Center for Health Statistics. Health Conditions and Behaviors of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Persons in the United States, 2014. Table 5 (Back to top)

2 CDC, 2025. Deaths: Final Data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 74, No. 4. Table 10. (Back to top)



Date Last Reviewed: September 2025