The State of CPR Knowledge Across the UK
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a critical life-saving skill, yet statistics reveal a concerning gap in public proficiency across the UK. With over 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurring annually in the UK, and fewer than one in ten people surviving, the immediate actions of a bystander can significantly alter these outcomes.
Recent research from St John Ambulance, conducted in July 2024, indicates that only 43% of people in the UK know how to perform CPR for someone in cardiac arrest. This figure is echoed by a British Heart Foundation (BHF) survey from February 2024, which found that nearly half of UK adults (43%) have never learned CPR, representing approximately 23 million people. A YouGov survey in November 2023 also highlighted that fewer than three in 10 people (28%) feel confident performing CPR in an emergency.
These figures underscore a persistent challenge in public health preparedness. While 89% of Brits believe learning CPR is important, only 40% could identify the correct first step of CPR, such as ensuring safety and checking for a response from an unconscious person. This lack of confidence and knowledge directly impacts bystander intervention rates, which are crucial given that immediate CPR can double or even triple survival rates.
Regional and Demographic Disparities in Training
Access to and uptake of CPR training are not uniform across the UK, with notable disparities observed across different regions and demographic groups. According to the British Heart Foundation, Northern Ireland stands out with 74% of respondents having learned CPR, making it the best-trained part of the UK. In contrast, bystander CPR rates reported by the Resuscitation Council UK (RCUK) in October 2025 show varying levels across the nations: England at 72.6%, Scotland at 62.6%, Wales at 64.3%, and Northern Ireland at 41.5% (January-March 2025 data). It is important to note that these figures likely represent instances where CPR was initiated, rather than overall training percentages.
Generational differences also play a role, with Generation Z (age 16-26) being the most trained, at 67%, compared to 51% of Baby Boomers (age 59-77) and 52% of Generation X (age 43-58). Furthermore, significant inequalities exist concerning ethnic minority groups and lower socio-economic backgrounds. Research indicates that only 22% of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds received CPR training in the last 10 years, compared to 41% of the general UK population. Almost 6 in 10 (59%) people from ethnic minority groups reported lacking CPR skills and knowledge. These disparities are critical, as over half (57%) of people from ethnic minority backgrounds have some experience with heart-related health problems, and nearly a third (32%) have had direct or indirect experience with cardiac arrest.
Barriers to training in these communities include language differences, cultural sensitivities, and systemic biases, as well as environmental factors such as fear of violence, financial struggles, and mistrust of authority. These factors contribute to lower bystander CPR rates in high-risk areas that often have a higher incidence of cardiac arrest and a greater proportion of minority ethnic group residents.
Initiatives and the Path Forward
Recognising these critical gaps, various organisations and government bodies have launched initiatives to improve CPR training rates. The annual Restart a Heart campaign, led by the British Heart Foundation, Resuscitation Council UK, and other partners, aims to teach CPR to as many people as possible, with a particular focus on schoolchildren. Since 2019, policies have been introduced across the UK to ensure CPR is taught in secondary schools, although there is currently no structured way to monitor the consistent delivery of this training.
Related training: If you are looking to qualify as a trainer in this area, see first aid trainer qualifications or explore moving and handling trainer qualifications for nationally recognised UK and Ireland qualifications.
In countries where basic life support is a mandatory part of the school curriculum, survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest are two to three times higher. The Resuscitation Council UK advocates for legislative efforts to mandate CPR training as part of driving licence tests and to ensure consistent and equitable CPR training in schools across all four nations. Organisations like the BHF have also introduced innovative tools like RevivR, an online platform that teaches CPR in just 15 minutes, making it accessible to a wider audience.
Despite these efforts, the UK lags behind other countries in CPR awareness, and overall out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rates remain below 10%. Continuous data collection on out-of-hospital cardiac arrests is vital to inform national strategies and target resources effectively, especially in 'hotspot' areas with high cardiac arrest incidence and low bystander CPR rates.
Workplace first aid training also remains crucial. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported 124 worker fatalities in work-related accidents during 2024/25, alongside an estimated 680,000 non-fatal injuries. These statistics highlight the ongoing need for robust first aid training in all environments. In Ireland, provisional figures from the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in January 2026 showed a concerning increase in work-related fatalities, with 58 deaths in 2025, up from 36 in 2024. Manual handling was the most common trigger for non-fatal incidents in Ireland in 2024.
Improving CPR proficiency and bystander intervention rates is a multifaceted challenge requiring sustained effort from individuals, communities, and policymakers. The goal is to ensure that more people have the knowledge and confidence to act in an emergency, ultimately saving more lives.
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