Korea Hypertension Fact Sheet 2024: nationwide population-based analysis with a focus on young adults

Background: This report provides an overview of hypertension prevalence, management, and trends in South Korea. Methods: The analysis is based on data from Korean adults aged 20 and older, using the 1998–2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and the 2002–2022 National Health Insurance (NHI) Big Data. Results: An estimated 30% of Korean adults (13 million) have hypertension, including 7.2 million men, 5.8 million women, and 5.8 million aged 65 or older. Overall awareness, treatment, and control rates were 77%, 74%, and 59%, respectively, showing a tendency to increase with advancing age. Medical utilization for hypertension has steadily increased, with 11.5 million patients accessing medical services, 10.9 million receiving antihypertensive prescriptions, and 8.1 million undergoing continuous treatment in 2022. Prescription patterns reveal monotherapy (40%), dual therapy (44%), and combination therapy with three or more drugs (16%). The most commonly prescribed antihypertensive medications include angiotensin receptor blockers (76%), calcium channel blockers (62%), diuretics (23%), and beta-blockers (15%). Among young adults aged 20–39 with hypertension, 59.2% do not utilize healthcare services, and 84.9% are non-adherent to treatment. Awareness (36%), treatment (35%), and control rates (33%) in this group are notably lower than all age groups of above 40, with treatment continuity rates at 24% for individuals in their 20s and 40% for those in their 30s. Conclusions: While South Korea has achieved relatively high rates of hypertension management compared to many countries, further efforts are needed to reduce hypertension prevalence and improve awareness and treatment adherence, particularly among younger adults.