Strokes Are More Common And Serious In Women, And Strokes Are On The Rise Overall. Each year, more than 6.6 million people worldwide die from strokes, and researchers caution that the incidence is increasing, especially in young and middle-aged people and in low- and middle-income countries. In a report published last week, researchers predicted that stroke deaths would increase by about 50 percent, reaching 9.7 million deaths annually in 2050...