Causes of death
High blood pressure deaths in the US
High blood pressure killed 43,422 people in the United States in 2025, making it the #13 cause of death. Adjusted for the country's aging population, the death rate is 10.0 per 100,000, up 60% from 6.2 in 1999.
High blood pressure deaths per year, 1999 to 2025
Data table
| Year | Deaths | Crude rate per 100,000 | Age-adjusted rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 16,968 | 6.081 | 6.236 |
| 2000 | 18,073 | 6.422 | 6.546 |
| 2001 | 19,250 | 6.755 | 6.873 |
| 2002 | 20,261 | 7.044 | 7.127 |
| 2003 | 21,940 | 7.563 | 7.573 |
| 2004 | 23,076 | 7.881 | 7.859 |
| 2005 | 24,902 | 8.427 | 8.29 |
| 2006 | 23,855 | 7.995 | 7.749 |
| 2007 | 23,965 | 7.956 | 7.622 |
| 2008 | 25,742 | 8.465 | 8.008 |
| 2009 | 25,734 | 8.389 | 7.844 |
| 2010 | 26,634 | 8.627 | 7.973 |
| 2011 | 27,853 | 8.939 | 8.075 |
| 2012 | 29,115 | 9.275 | 8.203 |
| 2013 | 30,770 | 9.733 | 8.531 |
| 2014 | 30,221 | 9.478 | 8.167 |
| 2015 | 32,200 | 10.018 | 8.538 |
| 2016 | 33,246 | 10.289 | 8.629 |
| 2017 | 35,316 | 10.842 | 8.998 |
| 2018 | 35,835 | 10.953 | 8.912 |
| 2019 | 36,524 | 11.127 | 8.913 |
| 2020 | 41,907 | 12.719 | 10.082 |
| 2021 | 42,816 | 12.901 | 10.693 |
| 2022 | 43,293 | 12.99 | 10.292 |
| 2023 | 42,374 | 12.652 | 10.053 |
| 2024 | 42,343 | 12.45 | 9.749 |
| 2025 | 43,422 | 12.767 | 9.984 |
It ranked #13 in both 1999 and 2025, and has been as high as #12.
What high blood pressure means here
This category counts essential hypertension and hypertensive kidney disease. Hypertensive heart disease is counted under heart disease instead, so the figure here understates what high blood pressure does. High blood pressure rarely has symptoms, which is why it is called a silent risk factor for heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.
CDC category: Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (I10,I12,I15)
What stands out in the 2025 data
- It accounted for 1.4% of all US deaths in 2025, about 1 in 71.
- Deaths from it are at the highest level in the data, which starts in 1999.
- 65% of the people who died of it were 75 or older.
- Men were 47% of the deaths, and their age-adjusted death rate was 1.2 times the rate for women.
Who dies of high blood pressure
| Age | Deaths | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | under 10 | |
| 1 to 4 | under 10 | |
| 5 to 14 | under 10 | |
| 15 to 24 | 19 | 0 |
| 25 to 34 | 134 | 0.3 |
| 35 to 44 | 596 | 1.3 |
| 45 to 54 | 1,639 | 4 |
| 55 to 64 | 4,367 | 10.5 |
| 65 to 74 | 8,367 | 23.6 |
| 75 to 84 | 11,882 | 61.6 |
| 85 and over | 16,417 | 255.1 |
| Sex | Deaths | Age-adjusted rate |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 22,799 | 9.1 |
| Men | 20,623 | 10.8 |
Common questions
How many people die of high blood pressure in the US each year?
High blood pressure caused 43,422 deaths in the United States in 2025 (CDC provisional data), compared with 16,968 in 1999.
Is the high blood pressure death rate going up or down?
The age-adjusted death rate for high blood pressure was 10.0 per 100,000 in 2025, up 60% from 6.2 in 1999. Age adjustment removes the effect of the population getting older, so it shows whether the risk per person changed, not just the raw count.
Where does high blood pressure rank among causes of death?
It ranked #13 in both 1999 and 2025, and has been as high as #12. The top causes in 2025 were heart disease, cancer and accidents.
Who dies of high blood pressure?
Most deaths, and the highest death rate, were in people aged 85 and over (16,417 deaths in 2025). 20,623 men and 22,799 women died of it.
Where does this data come from?
CDC WONDER, the National Center for Health Statistics death certificate data, using the NCHS list of 113 selected causes. Counts for 2025 are provisional and can be revised slightly upward.
Keep reading
- Heart disease · 695,898 deaths in 2025, #1
- Stroke · 171,516 deaths in 2025, #4
- Kidney disease · 55,435 deaths in 2025, #9
Source: CDC WONDER, Underlying Cause of Death, NCHS 113 selected causes. 2025 counts are provisional. Explore more on the Causes of Death page, or see what kills people your age.