Between 1975 and 2015, the tally of adults with high blood pressure rose from 594 million to over 1.1 billion, according to the overview, published in The Lancet medical journal.
At the same time, high income countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan have made "impressive reductions" in the prevalence of high blood pressure, the study found.
The biggest increase in cases was registered in low- and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and some Pacific island nations, researchers found.
The number of people across the globe suffering from high blood pressure has almost doubled over the past four decades, with the biggest rise in south Asia and Africa, researchers said Wednesday.
"High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for stroke and heart disease, and kills around 7.5 million people worldwide every year," said lead author Professor Majid Ezzati from Imperial College in London.
