About the event
WHO is launching the 2025 edition of the Global Hypertension Report during the United Nations General Assembly. The event will bring together ministers and global health leaders to spotlight the urgent need for expanded and accelerated action to control hypertension worldwide.
Why it matters
Hypertension remains one of the world’s leading causes of death and disability, affecting 1.4 billion people globally. Yet, only 1 in 5 individuals with hypertension have it under control. Scaling up access to simple, affordable, and effective treatment for just 50% of affected individuals could prevent 76 million deaths by 2050 and save USD 100 billion annually in health care costs.
This event coincides with the Fourth High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) and Mental Health, taking place on 25 September 2025. This meeting is a pivotal moment for global health, where world leaders will adopt a new Political Declaration to accelerate progress on NCD prevention and control. Hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is central to this agenda.
What the report covers
The new WHO Global Hypertension Report 2025 will:
- highlight the global burden of hypertension and the devastating health and economic consequences of inaction;
- present country-level data on hypertension prevalence and control;
- outline policy recommendations and evidence-based interventions; and
- showcase progress and challenges in different regions and settings.
Speakers
- Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO
- Dr Tom Frieden, President and CEO, Resolve to Save Lives
- Dr Kelly Henning, Bloomberg Philanthropies
- Dr Mekdes Daba, Minister of Health, Federal Republic of Ethiopia
- Min Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Health, Indonesia
- Dr Víctor Atallah Lajam, Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance, Dominican Republic
- Dr Gloria Balboa, Assistant Secretary, Department of Health, Philippine
- Dr Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr, Director, Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization
- Ms Leanne Riley, Unit Head, Surveillance, monitoring and reporting, World Health Organization
Moderator: Ms Alice Park, Senior correspondent, TIME
