Prevalence of hypertension in Korea
Korea: Prevalence of hypertension was 26.7% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of hypertension in Korea, 1990–2019
Source: World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of adults ages 30-79.
Analysis
Korea recorded 26.7% for prevalence of hypertension in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of hypertension in Korea peaked at 33.7% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 26.7%, in 2019.
Korea ranks 184th 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 Korea, year by year
| Year | % of adults ages 30-79 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 33.7% | — |
| 1991 | 33.3% | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 32.9% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 32.5% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 32.1% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 31.7% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 31.4% | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 31.1% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 30.7% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 30.5% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 30.2% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 30.0% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 29.8% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 29.6% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 29.4% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 29.1% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 28.9% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 28.7% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 28.5% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 28.3% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 28.1% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 27.9% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 27.7% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 27.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 27.4% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 27.2% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 27.1% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 27.0% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 26.8% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 26.7% | -0.4% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 26.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 36.1%, 74% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Korea's 26.7% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 33.3%, 80% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.0% | 30.5% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.2% | 28.3% | 30.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.4% | 26.7% | 28.1% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Korea
- 181 China 27.3% compare
- 182 Ecuador 27.2% compare
- 182 Spain 27.2% compare
- 185 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 26.5% compare
- 186 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 26.4% compare
- 187 Iran, Islamic Republic of 26.2% compare
More health data for Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % 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 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % 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 Korea?
- Prevalence of hypertension in Korea was 26.7% in 2019, according to World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of hypertension recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 33.7% in 1990.
- What is the lowest prevalence of hypertension recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.7% in 2019.
- How does Korea rank for prevalence of hypertension?
- Korea ranks 184th out of 192 countries with data for 2019.
- Is prevalence of hypertension rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea 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.