Overview

• WHO’s second Global Hypertension Report, presented during the UN General Assembly, finds cases have roughly doubled since 1990 and could exceed 1.5 billion by 2030.
• Only about one in five people with hypertension have it under control worldwide, contributing to more than 10 million deaths annually, with over 1,000 deaths every hour cited by the WHO chief.
• Control rates fall below 20% in 99 of 195 countries studied, with most affected people living in low‑ and middle‑income countries facing limited access to monitors and essential medicines.
• The Pan American Health Organization highlights progress through the HEARTS initiative in the Americas, where over 6 million patients are in treatment and 60% of them have controlled blood pressure.
• Clinicians report rising hypertension among younger adults, linking it to unhealthy diet, inactivity, stress and poor sleep, and urge early prevention with routine blood‑pressure checks.