Hypertension is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the Caribbean and globally. It is responsible for 51% of deaths due to cerebrovascular disease (stroke) and 45% of deaths due to ischaemic heart disease, which are the leading causes of death in the Caribbean. The prevalence of hypertension in the Caribbean is high, affecting 21% of adults in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, 25% in Jamaica, and 35–38% in St Kitts, British Virgin Islands and Grenada, contributing to the large economic burden from this condition and its complications.