NoeticMap
How can I help?
Ask about NDEs, research, or this page
TL;DR
NDEs are far more common than most people realize. Research consistently shows that 10-20% of cardiac arrest survivors report NDEs, and a Gallup poll found that about 5% of the entire adult American population has had one. With advances in resuscitation medicine bringing more people back from clinical death, the number of NDE experiencers is growing. These experiences occur across all demographics — age, gender, culture, religion, and education level — with no reliable predictor of who will have one.
Determining exactly how common NDEs are depends on how broadly the experience is defined and what population is studied. Among cardiac arrest survivors specifically, prospective studies consistently find NDE rates of 10-20%. Dr. Pim van Lommel's study found 18% of cardiac arrest survivors reported NDEs. Dr. Sam Parnia's research found similar rates.
But cardiac arrest is just one path to an NDE. People report NDEs during surgical complications, severe illness, traumatic injuries, drowning, anaphylaxis, and many other life-threatening situations. Some even report NDE-like experiences during extreme meditation, fainting, or severe psychological crisis — suggesting the trigger may not always require proximity to death.
Our database of documented experiences shows a broad demographic spread. NDEs do not cluster in any particular age group, gender, educational level, or religious background. This lack of demographic predictability is itself a significant finding — it suggests that NDEs are not produced by cultural expectation or psychological predisposition.
The most rigorous prevalence data comes from prospective studies, which follow all patients in a specific medical situation (like cardiac arrest) and systematically interview them afterward. These studies avoid the selection bias inherent in retrospective collections.
Dr. Pim van Lommel's Dutch study (2001) interviewed 344 consecutive cardiac arrest survivors: 62 (18%) reported NDEs. Dr. Sam Parnia's UK study (2001) found 11% of cardiac arrest survivors reported NDEs. A German study by Dr. Hubert Knoblauch using representative population sampling found that about 4% of the German population reported having had an NDE.
The 1982 Gallup poll remains one of the largest population-level estimates: approximately 5% of adult Americans reported an NDE, translating to roughly 8 million people at that time. Given population growth and dramatically improved resuscitation rates since 1982, current estimates suggest the number of American NDE experiencers is significantly higher today.
Dr. Jeffrey Long's research through the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation has collected over 5,000 detailed NDE accounts from around the world, demonstrating that NDEs occur across all cultures and nations — they are not a Western phenomenon.
The frequency of near-death experiences (NDEs) among patients who survived cardiac arrest.
4% · n = 5
18% of patients reported a near-death experience (NDE) during cardiac arrest
18% · n = 62
Frequency of NDEs among survivors of cardiac arrest
18% · n = 62
Frequency of NDEs in cardiac arrest survivors
23% · n = 7
Incidence of NDEs among people who had come close to death
47.06% · n = 48
Incidence of near-death experiences
28%
From a scientific standpoint, the prevalence of NDEs is itself an important data point. If NDEs were simply random neural noise from a dying brain, we might expect them to be universal during cardiac arrest (everyone's brain dies in roughly the same way) or to correlate with specific physiological variables (oxygen levels, medications, duration of arrest). Neither is the case.
The fact that only 10-20% of cardiac arrest survivors report NDEs, despite similar physiological conditions, is puzzling. Several hypotheses have been proposed: differences in the brain's response to anoxia, variations in recall ability after resuscitation, psychological readiness, or (from a non-materialist perspective) individual differences in consciousness's relationship to the brain.
Advances in resuscitation medicine have made the study of NDEs more relevant, not less. As cardiac arrest survival rates improve, more people than ever are returning from documented clinical death — and a significant percentage of them bring back NDE reports. This growing population of experiencers provides an expanding dataset for both neurological and consciousness research.
Approximately 10-20% of cardiac arrest survivors report near-death experiences, according to multiple prospective studies
Population-level estimates suggest 4-5% of adults in Western nations have had an NDE, translating to millions of people
NDEs occur across all demographics with no reliable predictor of who will have one
The actual prevalence is likely higher than reported, as many experiencers are reluctant to disclose their experience
Improving resuscitation medicine means more people than ever are surviving clinical death and returning with NDE reports
The inconsistent incidence rate (not everyone who nearly dies has an NDE) is itself a significant scientific puzzle
The information on this page is drawn from Noeticmap's database of 8,940 documented near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, and related accounts, as well as 8 peer-reviewed academic research papers. Experiences are sourced primarily from NDERF.org, OBERF.org, and ADCRF.org.
Each experience has been analyzed using established research frameworks including the Greyson NDE Scale (a standardized 32-point measure of NDE depth), element detection, and sentiment analysis. We present the data as objectively as possible — the quotes and statistics reflect what experiencers reported, not our interpretations.
Was this article helpful?
Search related experiences
Use semantic search to find more accounts related to this topic
Near-death experiences are among the most well-documented anomalous phenomena in medical literature. Thousands of independent accounts from people of all ages, cultures, and belief systems describe remarkably consistent elements. Whether they represent evidence of consciousness beyond the brain or a complex neurological process remains one of the most debated questions in science.
Children report NDEs with the same core elements as adults — light, tunnel, deceased relatives, feelings of peace, and life reviews — often before they have any cultural knowledge of what an NDE is. Pediatric NDEs are particularly significant to researchers because children's accounts are less likely to be shaped by prior expectations, religious conditioning, or media exposure.
Atheists and skeptics do report near-death experiences, and their accounts contain the same core elements as those reported by religious experiencers — light, peace, out-of-body perception, encounters with beings, and life reviews. The primary difference lies in interpretation, not content: atheists are less likely to label the being of light as God but describe the same perceptual experience. Many atheist experiencers report significant shifts in their worldview following their NDE.
Get insights from our consciousness research delivered to your inbox. No spam, just meaningful updates.