World Hypertension Day is celebrated by The World Hypertension League (WHL), an umbrella to organizations of 85 national hypertension leagues and societies. This day was initiated to increase the awareness of hypertension in people. This was especially important because of the lack of appropriate knowledge and awareness among hypertensive patients. The World Hypertension League first launched its World Hypertension Day on May 14, 2005, and since 2006, it has been celebrated annually on May 17.

As the inaugural effort in 2005, the theme was simply ‘Awareness of high blood pressure’ followed by the theme ‘Treat to goal’ in 2006, with a focus on keeping blood pressure in check. The 2007 World Hypertension Day theme was ‘Healthy diet and healthy blood pressure’. These health-related themes by the WHL intend to raise awareness not only of hypertension but also other factors contributing to an increase in the incidence of hypertension and ways to prevent it.