Nearly half of all adults in the United States have high blood pressure. The most recent national survey, covering August 2021 through August 2023, found that 47.7% of American adults meet the criteria for hypertension. Globally, about 33% of adults aged 30 to 79 have the condition, totaling an estimated 1.4 billion people.
How High Blood Pressure Is Defined
The numbers behind these statistics depend on where the diagnostic line is drawn. In the United States, the threshold was lowered in 2017 to 130/80 mmHg, meaning anyone with a systolic (top number) reading of 130 or higher, a diastolic (bottom number) of 80 or higher, or who takes blood pressure medication qualifies as having hypertension. Before that change, the cutoff was 140/90 mmHg. Stage 2 hypertension, the more severe category, still starts at 140/90.
That 2017 change is one reason the U.S. figure (47.7%) is higher than the global one (33%). Many countries and the World Health Organization still use 140/90 as the primary diagnostic threshold. If you’re comparing numbers between countries, the definition matters as much as the data.
Prevalence by Age
High blood pressure becomes dramatically more common with age. Among U.S. adults aged 18 to 39, about 23.4% have hypertension. That number more than doubles to 52.5% for people between 40 and 59. By age 60 and older, 71.6% of adults have high blood pressure. In other words, nearly three out of four older adults are living with the condition.
This steep climb reflects the gradual stiffening of blood vessels over time, along with the accumulation of other risk factors like weight gain, reduced physical activity, and dietary patterns built up over decades.
Differences Between Men and Women
Overall, men are more likely to have high blood pressure than women: 50.8% compared to 44.6%. But that gap narrows and eventually disappears with age.
The difference is sharpest in younger adults. Among those 18 to 39, 30% of men have hypertension versus 16.4% of women. In the 40 to 59 range, men still lead at 55.9% compared to 49% for women. After age 60, the rates converge. Men come in at 72.7% and women at 70.6%, a difference that isn’t statistically significant. Hormonal changes after menopause are a key reason women’s rates catch up in later life.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities
High blood pressure does not affect all racial and ethnic groups equally in the United States. Black adults carry the highest burden, with an age-adjusted prevalence of 58%, well above the national average of 44.5% (age-adjusted). This disparity has persisted across decades of health surveys and is linked to a complex mix of factors including genetics, chronic stress, disparities in healthcare access, and higher rates of conditions like diabetes and kidney disease that drive blood pressure up.
Global Variation by Country
Hypertension rates vary enormously around the world. Among the countries with the lowest rates, Switzerland stands out, with only 17% of women affected. Peru has low rates for both sexes (18% among women, 23% among men). Canada, South Korea, Japan, and Spain also land in the lowest tier for women, all below 22%.
At the other end, Paraguay has the highest rates globally, with 62% of men and 51% of women affected. Several Eastern European countries, including Hungary (56% of men), Poland (55%), and Romania (53%), rank among the highest for men. Caribbean nations like Jamaica, Haiti, and Dominica have some of the highest rates for women, all near or above 48%. These patterns reflect differences in diet (particularly sodium intake), obesity rates, healthcare infrastructure, and how aggressively countries screen for and treat the condition.
Many People Don’t Know They Have It
One of the most concerning aspects of these statistics is how many people with high blood pressure are unaware of it. In the U.S., only about 53.7% of adults with hypertension know they have the diagnosis. That means roughly 46% are walking around with elevated readings and no idea.
Even among those who know, control rates are poor. Just 22.3% of U.S. adults with hypertension have their blood pressure managed to healthy levels. That number actually declined after the COVID-19 pandemic, down from about 25.9% beforehand. Disruptions to routine healthcare visits, medication access, and lifestyle changes during the pandemic all likely played a role. The result is that for every 100 American adults with high blood pressure, only about 22 have it under control.
Why These Numbers Keep Rising
Global hypertension rates have been climbing for decades, driven by population aging, urbanization, and the spread of Western dietary patterns high in sodium and processed foods. Low-income countries are seeing some of the steepest increases. Africa alone is projected to see hypertension prevalence rise by more than 25% by 2030. As more people in developing nations move to cities, adopt sedentary lifestyles, and gain access to processed food, blood pressure levels follow.
In wealthier countries, the challenge is different. The U.S. already has widespread screening and affordable medications, yet nearly half the adult population is affected and fewer than one in four have it controlled. The gap between knowing about hypertension and actually managing it remains one of the biggest unsolved problems in public health.