Hypertension in Adults (Age 30-79)

Peru achieves the world's lowest hypertension rate while Paraguay suffers more than double at 56.4%.

World Health OrganizationUpdated Jan '24

Summary

Lowest 5 Countries by Hypertension

1Peru
20.7%
2Switzerland
21.9%
3Canada
22.1%
4Eritrea
23.7%
5Cambodia
25.7%
Dataset Median
38.0%

Highest 5 Countries by Hypertension

188Dominican Republic
49.1%
189Belarus
49.2%
189Poland
49.2%
191Tuvalu
50.4%
192Paraguay
56.4%

Comparison

2.7x

Paraguay suffers nearly triple Peru's rate

Outlier

6.0%

Paraguay isolated as extreme outlier

Leader

21.9%

Switzerland tops developed world

Data

192 results

1Peru20.7%
2Switzerland21.9%
3Canada22.1%
4Eritrea23.7%
5Cambodia25.7%
6Iran26.2%
7United Kingdom26.4%
8North Korea26.5%
9South Korea26.7%
10Ecuador27.2%

Map

Hypertension in Adults (Age 30-79)

56.4%
20.7%

Insights

Generated automatically using AI

Comparison

2.7x

Paraguay's hypertension rate is 2.7x higher than Peru's world-leading low

Outlier

6.0%

Paraguay stands alone with a 6% gap above second-worst Tuvalu at 50.4%

Leader

21.9%

Switzerland leads all developed nations at 21.9%, ranking second globally

Trend

35.8%

Global median hypertension rate sits at 35.8% across all 192 countries

Gap

18.9%

Eastern Europe shows crisis with 18.9% gap between best and worst rates

Methodology

What this measures: Age-standardized prevalence of hypertension among adults aged 30 to 79 years, expressed as a percentage. Higher values indicate a greater proportion of the population has high blood pressure.

How the data is collected: Data compiled by the World Health Organization using standardized methodologies to ensure comparability across countries and time periods.

How the ranking is computed: Countries are ranked from lowest to highest hypertension prevalence, with lower percentages receiving better ranks since reduced hypertension rates indicate better population health outcomes.

Coverage: 192 countries with data available for 1990 and 2019.

Limitations:

  • Data collection methods and diagnostic criteria may vary between countries

  • Age-standardization allows comparison but may not reflect actual demographic composition

  • Limited to two time points, preventing analysis of recent trends

  • Prevalence rates reflect detection and healthcare access, not just disease occurrence

  • Rankings show association, not causation with health policies or interventions

Source

World Health Organization - Hypertension in Adults (Age 30-79)

Hypertension prevalence Age-standardized prevalence of hypertension among adults aged 30 to 79 years (%) Official estimate updated 8 January 2024