Overview

• WHO’s new Global Hypertension Report, released Sept. 23 at UNGA80, finds just over one in five people with high blood pressure have it controlled and is being used to press commitments at today’s UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs.
• Analysis across 195 countries shows 99 have national hypertension control rates below 20%, reflecting widespread gaps in detection, treatment, and long-term care.
• Only 28% of low-income countries report general availability of all WHO‑recommended antihypertensive medicines, compared with 93% in high‑income countries.
• Uncontrolled high blood pressure is linked to more than 10 million deaths each year, with cardiovascular diseases projected to cost LMICs about US$3.7 trillion from 2011 to 2025.
• Examples cited by WHO show progress is feasible: India’s free generics and price ceilings lifted control in programme areas to 70–81% among patients retained in care, Bangladesh reached up to 56% in some regions, the Philippines scaled WHO HEARTS nationwide, and South Korea achieved 59% control in 2022.