Hypertension in Australia

In this report, hypertension and high measured blood pressure rates are estimated using the following three data sources:

• Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) 2022 National Health Survey (NHS)
• ABS 2022–24 National Health Measures Survey (NHMS)
• ABS 2022–23 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS).

Measured and self-reported blood pressure

In the 2022 NHS, voluntary blood pressure measurements were collected from adult respondents (aged 18 years and over). Blood pressure measurements were also collected from respondents participating in the 2023 National Nutrition and Physical activity Survey (NNPAS). The blood pressure measurements collected in the 2022 NHS and the 2023 NNPAS were pooled together in the 2022–24 NHMS. This is the sample used to estimate measured high blood pressure in the population.

Physical measurements such as blood pressure have a relatively high rate of non-response due to their voluntary and sensitive nature. To correct for the high rate of non-response, a method called imputation was used for those who did not have measurements. In this method, a record with a missing response was given the response of another similar record, based on a number of matching characteristics. In the 2022 NHS, the non-response rate for blood pressure measurements (taken for adults aged 18 and over only) was 39.0%. In the 2023 NNPAS, the non-response rate was 31.5%. For more information on how imputation works see National Health Survey methodology 2022.

Self-reported hypertension was also collected in both the 2022 NHS and the 2023 NNPAS. Survey participants were asked if they had ever been told by a doctor or nurse that they had hypertension.  The responses were pooled together in the 2022–24 NHMS.

For more information, see the ABS’s National Health Survey methodology and Intergenerational Health and Mental Health Study: Concepts, Sources and methods.

Medications

Hypertension prevalence was estimated using measured blood pressure data and medications data from the National Health Surveys.

In the 2017–18 NHS, information on general medication use in the last 2 weeks was collected directly from survey participants. They were also asked about medication used for specific long-term health conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high sugar levels. For more information on the use of medications in the 2017–18 NHS see National Health Survey: Users' Guide, 2017-18.

In contrast, the 2022 NHS obtained consent from the survey participants for their data from the survey to be linked with the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the Repatriation PBS (RPBS) data. The timeframe used for analysis of linked PBS-NHS data is based on date of supply, and spans from 180 days (6 months) before the NHS interview up to 180 days (6 months) after the date of the NHS interview (that is, a total time period of 12 months). 

The PBS and RPBS administrative data were used to create record medications data items for respondents in the 2022 NHS. Medications from the linked NHS and PBS dataset are used to determine whether someone was on medications for hypertension and therefore were used as part of the definition of whether someone has hypertension. 

Therefore, medication data from prior surveys cannot be used to make comparisons with the NHS 2022 and it is considered a break in series. For more information on PBS medications in the 2022 NHS see National Health Survey methodology 2022.

Crude and age-standardised prevalence estimates are presented as percentages in this report. Crude prevalence, as a percentage, is defined as the number of people with a particular characteristic, divided by the number of people in the population of interest, multiplied by 100.

All prevalence estimates in this report are weighted estimates that use person weights allocated to each survey participant by the ABS.

The jack-knife weight replication method was used to derive the standard error (SE) for each estimate, using replicate weights provided by the ABS.

The statistical significance of any difference in prevalence (percentage) estimates between people across time or population groups (for example, between age groups, socioeconomic quintile, or sex) was assessed using 95% confidence intervals. Confidence intervals were calculated for survey data in this report.

Age-standardised estimates are presented to remove the influence of age when comparing populations with different age structures. This is necessary because rates of hypertension vary (usually increasing) with age.

The age-standardised estimates in this report have been directly age-standardised to the 2001 Australian standard population.

The relative standard error (RSE) of an estimate is a measure of the error likely to have occurred due to sampling. It is usually expressed as a percentage. The RSEs of the estimates were calculated using the standard errors (SEs):

RSE% = SE (estimate)/estimate x 100

The margin of error (MoE) at the 95% confidence level for each estimate was calculated using 1.96 as the critical value:

MOE = 1.96 x SE (estimate)

The MoE was then used to calculate the 95% confidence interval (CI) around each estimate:

Lower CI = estimate – MOE (estimate)

Upper CI = estimate + MOE (estimate)

The 95% CI is a range of values determined by the variability in data, within which there is a 95% chance that the confidence interval will contain the true value of the population quantity being estimated.

Variation or difference in observed values or rates may be due to a number of causes including, among other things, actual differences in the study’s populations and sampling error. A statistical test of significance indicates how incompatible the observed data are with a specified statistical model. To assess whether differences between estimates are incompatible with a null hypothesis that the survey estimates are normally distributed and that there is no difference between the groups being compared, 95% CIs were used.

A difference between estimates was considered statistically significant if the 95% CIs around the estimates did not overlap. Where there was an overlap between 95% CIs, a test of significance was conducted using the z-score.

To do this, the SE of the difference between the two estimates (x and y):

SE(X-Y) = √(SE(X)^2 + SE(Y)^2)

This standard error is then used to calculate the test-statistic using the following formula:

 |X – Y|/ SE(X – Y)

If the absolute value of the test statistic is greater than 1.96 (at the 95% confidence level) then there is evidence of a statistical significance between two estimates. If it is less than 1.96, it cannot be stated with confidence that there is a real difference between the two estimates.

For more information, refer to ABS Reliability estimates.  

Comparisons of regions in this report use the ABS Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 3 five remoteness areas.

The 5 remoteness areas are Major cities, Inner regional, Outer regional, Remote, Very remote. These areas are defined using the Accessibility/ Remoteness Index for Australia Plus (ARIA+), which is a measure of a location from relative access to services.

In some instances, data for remoteness areas have been combined because of small sample sizes.

For further information see the ASGS Remoteness Structure.

Socioeconomic classifications in this report are based on the ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage (IRSD). Geographic areas are assigned a score based on social and economic characteristics of that area, such as income, educational attainment, public sector housing, unemployment and jobs in low-skill occupations. The IRSD relates to the average disadvantage of all people living in a geographical area. It cannot be presumed to apply to all individuals living in the area.

For the analyses in this report, the population is divided into 5 socioeconomic areas, with roughly equal populations (each around 20% of the total), based on the level of disadvantage of the statistical local area of their usual residence. The first group includes the 20% of areas with the highest levels of relative disadvantage (referred to as Group 1, most disadvantaged), while the last group includes the 20% of areas with the lowest levels of relative disadvantage (referred to as Group 5, least disadvantaged).

The IRSD values used in this report are based on the 2021 Census of Population and Housing. For further information see Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, 2021.

Country of birth is reported based on the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC) which provides guidelines for consistent collection, aggregation and dissemination of statistics by country. The country names within the SACC reflect country titles recognised by the Australian Government.

People born in Australia are identified using country level classification (1100–1199), with the remainder of the classifications coming from major groups (1–9).

The country of birth values used in this report are based on the 2016 Census. For further information see Country of Birth Standard.

In this report, comparisons are made between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people and people who do not identify as First Nations people.

People with ‘not stated’ or ‘missing’ Indigenous status are excluded from any analysis by Indigenous status.

National populations

Population data are used in this report to calculate the majority of rates. The population data used are estimated resident populations (ERPs) derived from the ABS Census of Population and Housing.

Throughout this report, rates are age-standardised to enhance comparison across groups where the age structure of the population may influence or confound interpretation. In these cases, the standard population used to calculate the age-standardised rate is the Australian ERP as at 30 June 2001.

First Nations people

The ABS 2021 Census-based estimates and projections of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population were used to derive rates (ABS 2024). To calculate non-Indigenous estimates, the Indigenous projection was subtracted from the total Australian ERP data.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy population

The population for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy includes women aged 15–44 who gave birth in Australia. The population also includes people whose hypertensive disorders of pregnancy status was unknown, that is not stated. Throughout this report, rates are age-standardised to enhance comparison across groups where the age structure of the population may influence or confound interpretation. In these cases, the standard population used to calculate the age-standardised rate is the Australian estimated female resident population aged 15–44 as at 30 June 2001. 

Priority populations

Some people in Australia experience inequitable health outcomes and a higher burden of disease due to social, economic and structural factors that influence access to resources, opportunities and health care. These people are referred to as ‘priority populations’ in this report. Priority populations include, but are not limited to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people; people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds; people living with disability or mental illness; people living in remote, rural and regional areas; and people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage.

People may identify with, or be affected by, more than one of these circumstances, which can intersect and shape their experiences of health and health care. Improving health equity requires approaches that recognise people’s strengths, preferences and lived experience, and that support shared decision‑making. Tailored, culturally safe and accessible health care is needed to improve prevention, early intervention and the management of chronic conditions for people within priority populations.

This report presents information for priority populations where nationally consistent data are available. In this report, analyses include disaggregation by Indigenous status, Country of birth, Remoteness area and Socioeconomic area. Availability and quality of data vary across population groups and data sources, and not all priority populations are able to be reported on consistently.

Reference

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) (2024) Estimates and projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, ABS, accessed 1 December 2025.