By Peter Omopo
New York, September 24, 2025 — The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sounded the alarm over the growing global toll of uncontrolled high blood pressure, warning that more than 10 million people die every year from preventable complications linked to hypertension.
The warning came in WHO’s second Global Hypertension Report, released Tuesday during an event co-hosted with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Resolve to Save Lives on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
According to the report, 1.4 billion people worldwide lived with hypertension in 2024, but only one in five had their condition under control. Despite being both preventable and treatable, hypertension remains a leading cause of heart attack, stroke, chronic kidney disease, and dementia.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus stressed the urgency of action:
“Every hour, more than 1,000 lives are lost to strokes and heart attacks from high blood pressure, and most of these deaths are preventable. With political will, investment, and reforms to integrate hypertension care into health services, we can save millions of lives.”
Stark Inequalities in Access
The report revealed deep disparities between countries:
- Just 28% of low-income nations reported that all WHO-recommended hypertension medicines were generally available in pharmacies or primary care, compared to 93% of high-income countries.
- 99 countries had national hypertension control rates below 20%.
- From 2011 to 2025, cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, are projected to cost low- and middle-income countries around US$3.7 trillion, equivalent to 2% of their combined GDP.
Dr Kelly Henning, who leads Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Health Program, warned that weak health systems are leaving millions vulnerable.
“Uncontrolled high blood pressure claims more than 10 million lives every year, despite being both preventable and treatable. Strong policies that raise awareness and expand access to treatment are critical.”
Progress Stories
The report pointed to success stories demonstrating that progress is achievable:
- Bangladesh increased hypertension control in some regions from 15% in 2019 to 56% in 2025 by embedding treatment in essential health services.
- The Philippines scaled up community-level care using WHO’s HEARTS technical package.
- South Korea achieved 59% national control rates in 2022 through reforms, including lowering the cost of antihypertensive medicines and reducing patient fees.
Barriers to Control
Key obstacles cited include:
- Weak health promotion policies targeting risk factors like salt, tobacco, alcohol, and physical inactivity.
- Lack of affordable, validated blood pressure devices.
- Unreliable supply chains and costly medicines.
- Inadequate patient financial protection.
- Shortage of trained primary care teams and standardised treatment protocols.
Dr Tom Frieden, President & CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, emphasised that solutions exist:
“Safe, effective, low-cost medicines to control blood pressure exist, but far too many people can’t get them. Closing that gap will save lives and billions of dollars annually.”
The Way Forward
WHO urged governments to embed hypertension control in universal health coverage (UHC) reforms, improve medicine supply systems, and strengthen primary healthcare. Implementing these measures, it said, could prevent millions of premature deaths while reducing the massive social and economic toll of uncontrolled hypertension.
