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The UK picture

High blood pressure is one of the most common long-term health conditions in England, and many people don’t know they have it.

  • Adults in England with high blood pressure

    30%

    2024 survey · NHS England (Digital)

  • Adults with high blood pressure that hasn’t been diagnosed

    9%

    2024 survey · NHS England (Digital)

  • Adults with high blood pressure that isn’t being treated

    12%

    2024 survey · NHS England (Digital)

  • Women aged 75 and over with high blood pressure

    70%

    2024 survey · NHS England (Digital)

  • Patients on GP high blood pressure registers (all ages)

    15.8%

    2025-26 · NHS England (Digital)

  • Estimated people in England with undiagnosed high blood pressure

    5.5 million

    Date not stated · NHS England

How common is it?

The Health Survey for England 2024 found that 30% of adults (aged 16 and over) had high blood pressure: 32% of men and 27% of women. That figure has been fairly stable since 2003, when it was 31%. It becomes much more common with age: 67% of men and 70% of women aged 75 and over.

How many people don’t know?

In the same survey, 9% of adults had high blood pressure at the survey visit but had never been told they had it. For people aged 75 and over, it was 15%. In the 2022 survey, the figure was 11%.

NHS England estimates that 5.5 million people in England have undiagnosed high blood pressure.

Why it matters

NHS England describes high blood pressure as “the biggest risk factor for CVD and is one of the top five risk factors for all premature death and disability in England”. CVD means cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks and strokes.

The most recent official estimate we could find is that high blood pressure was linked to around 75,000 deaths in England in 2015.

About these numbers

  • The Health Survey measures blood pressure on a single visit, so it “cannot be completely accurate in identifying people with hypertension”. The 2024 survey also changed how blood pressure medicines were recorded, which may affect comparisons with earlier years.
  • The 15.8% GP register figure counts patients of all ages who have been diagnosed. It can’t be compared directly with the survey’s figures for adults.
  • The 75,000 deaths figure dates from 2015. We haven’t found a newer official figure.

Checked against NHS and NICE guidance on . See all official sources.