Objective  To analyze the years of life lost (YLL) due to premature death from stroke among the residents in mortality surveillance sites of Hebei province between 2014 and 2020, as well as the trend of change, for stroke prevention and control in the region.

  Methods  The data of 2014 – 2020 on stroke deaths among the residents in thirty mortality surveillance sites of Hebei province were collected online from the Death Registry Information System of Hebei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Excel 2010 was used in data processing and calculations of YLL, YLL rate and average years of life loss (AYLLs) due to stroke mortality and the annual percentage change (APC) was determined using Joinpoint Regression Software 4.9.0.0 to evaluate trends in those indicators.

  Results  The YLL, YLL rate and AYLL of the residents during the 7-year period were 475 002 person-years, 4.90‰ and 10.44 years, respectively. Except for YLL, the YLL rate and AYLL showed a decreasing trend, with the APCs of – 2.64% and – 0.80%, (both P < 0.05). For the male and female residents. the YLLs were 333 103 person-years and 141 899 person-years, the YLL rates were 6.71‰ and 3.00‰, and the AYLL were 10.98 years and 9.37 years, respectively; the YLL, YLL rate and AYLL of male residents were 2.35, 2.24 and 1.17 times of those of female residents. The age-group-specific AYLL, YLL, and YLL rate were the highest for the residents aged < 20 years (54.55 years), 40 – 59 years (329 240 person-years), and ≥ 60 years (13.24‰). For the urban and rural residents, the YLLs were 52 248 person-years and 422 754 person-years; the YLL rates were 2.01‰ and 5.96‰, and the AYLL were 11.19 years and 10.36 years, respectively; the YLL and YLL rate of rural residents were 8.09 and 2.97 times of those of urban residents, and the AYLL of urban residents was 1.07 times of that of rural residents. In terms of stroke type, the highest YLL (347 387 person-years), YLL rate (3.58‰), and AYLL (11.80 years) were attributed to hemorrhagic stroke. For the whole population studied, all the YLL rate, standardized YLL rate, and AYLLs showed a decreasing trend, with the APCs of – 2.64% (t = – 5.63, P = 0.002), – 3.27% (t = – 5.63, P = 0.002), and – 0.80% (t = – 2.80, P = 0.038), respectively.

  Conclusion  Although there was a downward trend in years of life lost due to premature death from stroke among the residents in mortality surveillance sites of Hebei province between 2014 and 2020, the disease burden caused by stroke was still relatively high, especially for the males, the residents aged ≥ 40 years, rural residents, and those with hemorrhagic stroke.