Overview
- The share of children and adolescents with high blood pressure rose from about 3.2–3.4% in 2000 to roughly 6.2–6.5% in 2020, affecting an estimated 114 million people under 19.
- The estimate stems from a Lancet Child & Adolescent Health meta-analysis of 96 studies including more than 443,000 participants across 21 countries.
- Prevalence varied by measurement method, with confirmed in‑office hypertension at about 4.3% versus around 6.7% when ambulatory or home monitoring captured sustained and masked cases.
- Obesity emerged as a major driver, with approximately 19% of children with obesity having hypertension compared with roughly 2.4–3% among those at a healthy weight.
- Researchers also report 8.2% prehypertension and a sharp rise through early adolescence, and they urge harmonized criteria, broader out‑of‑office screening, and prevention despite noted data limitations.