Greece and Cyprus registered below the EU average of high blood pressure as a percentage share of population whilst Ireland registered the lowest.
According to the latest data from Eurostat, Greece and Cyprus registered just below 20% of their population aged 15 years and over who reported having high blood pressure. Not all slow as some might have expected given the perception of southern Europeans being laid back and relaxed.
With the EU average at 22%, the countries registering highest shares of high blood pressure were recorded in Croatia (37% of people aged 15 years and over), Latvia and Hungary (both 32%). In contrast, the lowest shares were recorded in Ireland (12%), Luxembourg, Romania and the Netherlands (all 16%).
In 2019, the share of women in the EU reporting they had high blood pressure was slightly higher than the share of men (23% vs. 21%). The highest shares of women with high blood pressure were recorded in Croatia (38%), Latvia (37%) and Hungary (34%). On the other hand, the highest shares of men with high blood pressure were recorded in Croatia (36%), Hungary (29%) and Finland (28%).
Source: Eurostat
