Prevalence of hypertension in Iceland
Iceland: Prevalence of hypertension was 27.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of hypertension in Iceland, 1990–2019
Source: World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of adults ages 30-79.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of hypertension in Iceland is 27.5%, measured in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of hypertension in Iceland peaked at 34.5% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 27.5%, in 2019.
Iceland ranks 179th of 192 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 30 years of available data.
Prevalence of hypertension in Iceland, year by year
| Year | % of adults ages 30-79 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 34.5% | — |
| 1991 | 34.4% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 34.4% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 34.3% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 34.2% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 34.1% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 34.0% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 33.9% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 33.9% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 33.8% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 33.7% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 33.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 33.6% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 33.5% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 33.4% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 33.2% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 33.0% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 32.7% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 32.4% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 32.1% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 31.8% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 31.3% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 30.9% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 30.4% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 29.8% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 29.4% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 28.9% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 28.4% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 28.0% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 27.5% | -1.8% |
Iceland compared with similar countries
- Iceland's 27.5% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.1%, 76% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Iceland's 27.5% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 41.0%, 67% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 34.1% | 33.8% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.1% | 32.1% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.6% | 27.5% | 31.8% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Iceland
- 176 Lao People's Democratic Republic 28.5% compare
- 177 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 28.3% compare
- 178 Papua New Guinea 27.8% compare
- 180 Ethiopia 27.4% compare
- 181 China 27.3% compare
- 182 Ecuador 27.2% compare
- 182 Spain 27.2% compare
More health data for Iceland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2085)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.4982 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,358 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 0 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.1533 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0283 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.1097 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of hypertension in Iceland?
- Prevalence of hypertension in Iceland was 27.5% in 2019, according to World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of hypertension recorded in Iceland?
- The highest recorded value was 34.5% in 1990.
- What is the lowest prevalence of hypertension recorded in Iceland?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.5% in 2019.
- How does Iceland rank for prevalence of hypertension?
- Iceland ranks 179th out of 192 countries with data for 2019.
- Is prevalence of hypertension rising or falling in Iceland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iceland data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository, published as part of Prevalence of hypertension (% of 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).
About this data
Prevalence of hypertension is the percentage of 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.