Hypertension significantly increases the risk of heart, brain, and kidney diseases and is one of the leading causes of death and disease worldwide. While it can be easily detected by measuring blood pressure and can often be treated effectively with medications at low cost, the number of people with hypertension has increased for the past decades.  Many people with hypertension are not aware of their condition or are not receiving the treatment that they need.   

The WHO points out that the burden of hypertension has shifted from high-income countries to low- and middle-income countries. The prevalence rate of hypertension has decreased in high-income countries, while it has increased in many low- or middle-income countries.
Prevalence of hypertension, female (% of female adults ages 30-79)
Prevalence of hypertension, female, is the percentage of female 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.
Based on the population-representative studies with measurement of blood pressure and data on blood pressure treatment, a Bayesian hierarchical model was used to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and the proportion of people who were taking medication for hypertension.