Islamabad: Pakistan is in the grip of a worsening hypertension crisis, with 42 percent of adults aged 30 to 79 years suffering from high blood pressure, which is far above the global average of 34 percent while just 12 percent manage to control the condition, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Hypertension Report 2025 revealed on Tuesday.
The report estimates that of the 38.6 million Pakistani adults with hypertension, nearly 34 million do not have their blood pressure under control.
Only 44 percent (17.1 million) have ever been diagnosed, 34 percent (13.1 million) are receiving treatment, and a mere 12 percent (4.6 million) successfully manage their blood pressure through medicines or lifestyle changes.
Health experts say this lack of control is fueling heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and premature deaths across the country.
In 2021 alone, Pakistan reported 1.67 million deaths, of which 402,000 were attributed to cardiovascular diseases. Strikingly, over half (51 percent) of these cardiovascular deaths were linked to high blood pressure.
The WHO profile paints a bleak picture of national preparedness. Pakistan has no national target for blood pressure control, no guidelines for hypertension management, and no standardized patient information system at the primary healthcare level. It has also failed to conduct recent national surveys on blood pressure or salt intake — both critical for policymaking.
Risk factors remain widespread as Pakistanis on average consume 9 grams of salt daily, almost double the WHO recommended level of 5 grams.
Tobacco use is reported among 19 percent of adults, while 22 percent of adults are obese and 46 percent report insufficient physical activity. Alarmingly, obesity is almost twice as common in women (25 percent) compared to men (19 percent).
Projections in the WHO report show that if current trends continue, the number of hypertensive adults in Pakistan will climb sharply by 2030, further straining the fragile health system.
Cardiovascular diseases are already the leading killer in the country, and the report warns of escalating costs and health system overload unless urgent reforms are undertaken.
While Pakistan has an operational cardiovascular disease policy and a salt reduction policy in place, experts stress that these are not enough without implementation of population-wide screening, stronger primary care systems, affordable medicines, and mass awareness campaigns to change unhealthy diets and lifestyles.
“Hypertension is the most preventable cause of premature deaths, yet it continues to be neglected in Pakistan,” health professionals said, calling for immediate action to integrate hypertension control into universal health coverage.
They maintained that preventive programs, routine checkups, and reduced salt intake could save tens of thousands of lives every year.
The WHO emphasized that effective treatment and prevention strategies can achieve control rates above 50 percent, but Pakistan remains far below this threshold. Unless urgent measures are taken, millions of Pakistanis will remain vulnerable to the silent killer.
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