National Hypertension
Taskforce

A collaborative cross-sector approach to reducing the burden of high blood pressure in Australia.

Goal

To increase blood pressure control* from 32% to 70% by 2030 in Australia.

*Defined as <140/90 mmHg

Based on the latest data available in 2022 when the Taskforce launched, one in three Australian adults (6.8 million people) have hypertension.¹

Unaware

3.4 million 50%

About half (3.4 million) don’t know they have it. ^1-2

Aware and uncontrolled

1.2 million 18%

1.2 million (18%) are aware they have it, but it is uncontrolled (>140/90 mmHg).^1-2

Treated and controlled

2.2 million 32%

Of those who do have it detected and treated, only 32% (or 2.2 million) are treated effectively and have their BP under control (<140/90 mmHg). ^1-2

One in three Australian adults

One in three Australian adults (6.8 million people) have hypertension. ¹

25,000 deaths annually

Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of death in Australia, contributing to over 25,000 deaths annually. ³⁻⁵

$91.6 billion could be saved

If hypertension was reduced by 25% and everyone with hypertension was effectively treated and controlled, it would result in savings of AUD$91.6 billion in GDP. ⁶

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. High blood pressure. Canberra: AIHW, 2019. | 2. Carnagarin R, Nolde JM, Yang J, et al. Stagnating rates of blood pressure control in Australia: insights from opportunistic screening of 10 046 participants of the May Measurement Month campaigns. J Hypertens 2023; 41(4): 632-7. | 3. GBD 2019 Risk Factors Collaborators. Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet 2020; 396(10258): 1223-49. | 4. Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. Global Burden of Disease. Deaths by Risk Factor in Australia. 2019. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/number-of-deaths-by-risk-factor?country=~AUS (accessed April 2024). | 5. Xu X, Islam SMS, Schlaich M, Jennings G, Schutte AE. The contribution of raised blood pressure to the burden of cardiovascular disease and deaths in Australia from 1990 to 2019. PLoS One 2024; 19(2): e0297229. | 6. Hird TR, Zomer E, Owen AJ, Magliano DJ, Liew D, Ademi Z. Productivity Burden of Hypertension in Australia. Hypertension 2019; 73(4): 777-84.

Featured updates

Taskforce official launch

The National Hypertension Taskforce was officially launched by the Honourable Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health and Aged Care on the 8th December 2022.

Roadmap publication

The Roadmap has been published in the Medical Journal of Australia. It is built on three pillars to (A) prevent; (B) detect; and (C) effectively treat raised BP.

National Hypertension Summit 2024

Don’t miss the exciting opportunity to attend the inaugural National Hypertension Summit hosted by the National Hypertension Taskforce, a joint initiative of the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance and Hypertension Australia.

Podcast miniseries:
Tackling Hypertension Head-On

Taskforce co-lead Prof. Alta Schutte hosts a six-part miniseries podcast on Drivetime Radio covering everything hypertension – from guidelines, lifestyle choices, blood pressure monitoring devices, and multidisciplinary care.

Senator Raff Ciccone

Senator Raff Ciccone addressed the Federal Senate on 15 May 2024 to speak about his experience with high blood pressure and why it’s so important to get it checked.

Host organisations

Supporting organisations

Enquire about how you can support the Taskforce to reduce the burden of high blood pressure in Australia by increasing control rates to at least 70% by 2030.

National Hypertension Taskforce