Overview
- The JACC analysis, published Thursday, estimates about one third of adults, or 1.7 billion people, had hypertension in 2020.
- Fewer than 20% had their blood pressure under control in 2020, with control at 40.2% in high-income countries versus 13.6% in low- and middle-income countries.
- Nearly 90% of the growth since 2000 occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and the share of uncontrolled cases there rose from 70% to 83% by 2020.
- Prevalence was highest in Latin America and the Caribbean and in sub-Saharan Africa, while the largest headcounts were in East Asia and the Pacific and in South Asia.
- South African data show gaps in care, with a 2023 Johannesburg study finding 57% of clinic patients still uncontrolled, spurring calls for fixed-dose pills, reliable medicines and tighter follow-up.