Today, two-thirds of all individuals that have suffered from a stroke live in low and middle-income countries where health systems are already challenged to the limit. In an ageing global population, stroke is the second leading cause of death for people above the age of 60 years. Stroke also attacks children, including newborns. Without coordinated effort on the part of the international community, stroke will claim the lives of up to 6.5 million people each year by 2015. Now is the time to act.