Hypertension, long dubbed the “silent killer,” now affects more than 1.4bn people worldwide. Yet a new WHO report, unveiled at the UN General Assembly, shows that barely one in five patients keep it under control. Unchecked, it drives heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and dementia, claiming over 10m lives a year. That is more than 1,000 preventable deaths every hour.

The gap is starkly economic. Just 28% of low-income countries ensure consistent access to WHO’s recommended medicines, compared with 93% of rich ones. In nearly 100 countries, fewer than one in five patients has blood pressure under control.

Still, progress is possible. Bangladesh, the Philippines and South Korea demonstrate that weaving hypertension care into universal health coverage can sharply raise survival rates. The tools exist, WHO insists; what is missing is political will.