The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that uncontrolled high blood pressure threatens over 1.4 billion people with premature death. In its second Global Hypertension Report, released during the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, WHO revealed that only one in five people with hypertension have it under control.
Hypertension— a major cause of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and dementia—kills over 10 million annually, despite being preventable and treatable. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus stressed that with political will, investment, and reforms, millions of lives can be saved.
The report highlights severe gaps in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Only 28% of low-income countries report general availability of all WHO-recommended hypertension medicines, compared to 93% of high-income nations. Barriers include weak health policies, limited access to affordable medicines, and under-resourced health systems.
Case studies show progress is possible: Bangladesh raised hypertension control from 15% to 56% in some regions, the Philippines expanded community-level care using WHO’s HEARTS package, and South Korea achieved 59% national control through reforms and affordable medicine.
WHO urges all countries to integrate hypertension care into universal health coverage, warning that without urgent action, millions more will die prematurely and economies will bear heavy losses—projected at US\$3.7 trillion for low- and middle-income nations between 2011 and 2025.
