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In 2022, of adults with hypertension, 40% had controlled blood pressure and were taking antihypertensive medications.
Variation by age and sex
- Of adults with hypertension, the proportion with controlled blood pressure increased with increasing age.
- Across age groups, females generally had higher rates of controlled hypertension than males.
Trends over time
- The prevalence of controlled hypertension has remained similar between 2011–12 and 2017–18.
Noting that data from 2022 is not comparable to previous periods and is considered a break in series due to a difference in the collection of medications data in the 2022 National Health Survey.
Definition of controlled hypertension
In this section, people with hypertension are considered to have it under control if their blood pressure measurements are within the optimal range, that is systolic blood pressure less than 140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure less than 90 mm Hg. This control can occur by consistently taking antihypertensive medications and/or lifestyle changes such as following a healthy diet, keeping active and avoiding smoking.
This section focusses on hypertension controlled using medications, where controlled hypertension is defined as people who are on antihypertensive medications and had an optimal measured blood pressure reading.
For more information on the types of medications used for hypertension, see the Treatment and management of hypertension section in What is hypertension?.
Based on data from the 2022 NHS, of adults aged 18 and over who had hypertension:
- an estimated 40% had controlled blood pressure
- more females (42%) than males (37%) had their hypertension controlled and were taking antihypertensive medications (AIHW analysis of ABS 2023).
In 2022, of adults with hypertension, 65% were dispensed antihypertensive medications in the 6 months before or after the date of their NHS interview. Of these people, 61% had their hypertension controlled.
Note: medication data from the 2017–18 and 2022 NHS were collected using different methods and are therefore not comparable. See the Technical notes for details.
Variation by age and sex
Of people with hypertension, the proportion with controlled blood pressure increased with age. The lowest proportion was seen in those aged 18–34 (18%) compared with almost half (49%) of those aged 75 and over (Figure 4). This pattern is observed in both males and females.
Across age groups, females generally had higher rates of controlled hypertension than males. The biggest difference was seen in those aged 35–44, where 37% of females had controlled blood pressure, compared with 21% of males. However, the variation in hypertension control rates between males and females reduced with increasing age (Figure 4).
The variation in hypertension control between males and females could be due to several reasons. This includes different health-care seeking behaviours, life stages (such as childbearing years where females may be more likely to be under medical care), and adherence to medications. Sex-differences in the prevalence of comorbid conditions such as diabetes and coronary heart disease, as well as in key risk factors, such as alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking behaviours and overweight and obesity may also contribute.
