Prevalence of hypertension, female in South Africa

South Africa: Prevalence of hypertension, female was 44.3% in 2019. ▲ Rising

Latest (2019)
44.3%
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
26th
of 192 countries
All-time high
47.0%
in 2010
All-time low
35.6%
in 1990
Years of data
30
1990–2019

Prevalence of hypertension, female in South Africa, 1990–2019

010203040501990200420191990: 35.6 % of female adults ages 30-791991: 36 % of female adults ages 30-791992: 36.4 % of female adults ages 30-791993: 36.8 % of female adults ages 30-791994: 37.2 % of female adults ages 30-791995: 37.6 % of female adults ages 30-791996: 38.1 % of female adults ages 30-791997: 38.6 % of female adults ages 30-791998: 39.2 % of female adults ages 30-791999: 39.9 % of female adults ages 30-792000: 40.6 % of female adults ages 30-792001: 41.4 % of female adults ages 30-792002: 42.2 % of female adults ages 30-792003: 43.1 % of female adults ages 30-792004: 43.9 % of female adults ages 30-792005: 44.8 % of female adults ages 30-792006: 45.5 % of female adults ages 30-792007: 46.1 % of female adults ages 30-792008: 46.6 % of female adults ages 30-792009: 46.9 % of female adults ages 30-792010: 47 % of female adults ages 30-792011: 46.9 % of female adults ages 30-792012: 46.8 % of female adults ages 30-792013: 46.6 % of female adults ages 30-792014: 46.3 % of female adults ages 30-792015: 45.9 % of female adults ages 30-792016: 45.5 % of female adults ages 30-792017: 45.1 % of female adults ages 30-792018: 44.7 % of female adults ages 30-792019: 44.3 % of female adults ages 30-79

Source: World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of female adults ages 30-79.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prevalence of hypertension, female in South Africa is 44.3%, measured in 2019.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of hypertension, female in South Africa peaked at 47.0% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 35.6%, in 1990.

That places South Africa 26th out of 192 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.

Prevalence of hypertension, female in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Prevalence of hypertension, female (% of female adults ages 30-79) in South Africa, 1990 to 2019.
Year % of female adults ages 30-79 Change
1990 35.6%
1991 36.0% +1.1%
1992 36.4% +1.1%
1993 36.8% +1.1%
1994 37.2% +1.1%
1995 37.6% +1.1%
1996 38.1% +1.3%
1997 38.6% +1.3%
1998 39.2% +1.6%
1999 39.9% +1.8%
2000 40.6% +1.8%
2001 41.4% +2.0%
2002 42.2% +1.9%
2003 43.1% +2.1%
2004 43.9% +1.9%
2005 44.8% +2.1%
2006 45.5% +1.6%
2007 46.1% +1.3%
2008 46.6% +1.1%
2009 46.9% +0.6%
2010 47.0% +0.2%
2011 46.9% -0.2%
2012 46.8% -0.2%
2013 46.6% -0.4%
2014 46.3% -0.6%
2015 45.9% -0.9%
2016 45.5% -0.9%
2017 45.1% -0.9%
2018 44.7% -0.9%
2019 44.3% -0.9%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 44.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 40.8%, 1.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 44.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39.4%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 37.5% 35.6% 39.9% 10
2000s 44.1% 40.6% 46.9% 10
2010s 45.9% 44.3% 47.0% 10

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 24 Uzbekistan 44.6% compare
  2. 25 Indonesia 44.5% compare
  3. 27 Romania 43.9% compare
  4. 28 Kiribati 43.8% compare
  5. 29 Bahamas 43.6% compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of hypertension, female in South Africa?
Prevalence of hypertension, female in South Africa was 44.3% in 2019, according to World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
What is the highest prevalence of hypertension, female recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 47.0% in 2010.
What is the lowest prevalence of hypertension, female recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 35.6% in 1990.
How does South Africa rank for prevalence of hypertension, female?
South Africa ranks 26th out of 192 countries with data for 2019.
Is prevalence of hypertension, female rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository, published as part of Prevalence of hypertension, female (% of female adults ages 30-79). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Prevalence of hypertension, female in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Retrieved 19 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-hypertension-female-percent-of-female-adults-ages-30-79/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-hypertension-female-percent-of-female-adults-ages-30-79/south-africa/">Prevalence of hypertension, female in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of hypertension, female (% of female adults ages 30-79)
Unit
% of female adults ages 30-79
Source
World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
235 places, 7,050 data points, 1990–2019
Last refreshed

Prevalence of hypertension, female, is the percentage of female adults ages 30-79 with hypertension (defined as having systolic blood pressure =140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure =90 mmHg, or taking medication for hypertension). The data is age-standardized.