Prevalence of hypertension in Malawi
Malawi: Prevalence of hypertension was 29.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of hypertension in Malawi, 1990–2019
Source: World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of adults ages 30-79.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 29.5% for prevalence of hypertension in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.
The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 20.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of hypertension in Malawi peaked at 37.6% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 29.5%, in 2019.
Malawi ranks 168th 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | % of adults ages 30-79 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 34.7% | — |
| 1991 | 34.8% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 35.0% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 35.2% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 35.4% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 35.6% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 35.9% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 36.1% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 36.3% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 36.5% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 36.8% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 37.0% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 37.2% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 37.4% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 37.5% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 37.6% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 37.6% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 37.5% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 37.3% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 37.0% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 36.5% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 35.9% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 35.2% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 34.5% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 33.7% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 32.9% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 32.0% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 31.2% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 30.3% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 29.5% | -2.6% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 29.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 36.1%, 82% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 29.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 37.5%, 79% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.5% | 34.7% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.3% | 36.8% | 37.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.2% | 29.5% | 36.5% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of hypertension in Malawi?
- Prevalence of hypertension in Malawi was 29.5% in 2019, according to World Health Organization's Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of hypertension recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 37.6% in 2005.
- What is the lowest prevalence of hypertension recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.5% in 2019.
- How does Malawi rank for prevalence of hypertension?
- Malawi ranks 168th out of 192 countries with data for 2019.
- Is prevalence of hypertension rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.