Know Your Numbers! Week 2026: 7-13 September. Date for the diary.

It’s the UK’s biggest free blood pressure testing and awareness campaign, and we’ll be sharing more soon on how to get involved.

Why it matters is simple. High blood pressure is still the biggest preventable cause of death in the UK, and it’s often completely silent. A recent consumer poll from Blood Pressure UK shows a worrying gap between what people know and what they do:

More than four in ten UK adults (43%) don’t know their current blood pressure reading, and almost a third (31%) don’t check it regularly. Most people understand the risks in theory. 84% know high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks and 79% link it to strokes. But action is lagging behind, and confusion is part of the problem. Nearly half (49%) mistakenly believe high blood pressure comes with clear symptoms, when very often there are no symptoms at all until something serious happens.

There’s also a big blind spot around the damage high blood pressure can do to the kidneys. Only 26% of people were aware of this link, despite high blood pressure being one of the leading causes of kidney failure.

This is why Know Your Numbers! Week exists: to help find the “Missing Millions”. An estimated 4.2 million adults are living with high blood pressure without knowing it, raising their risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, vascular dementia and early death. The good news is checking your blood pressure is quick, simple and genuinely life-saving. If you’re over 40, aim to check it at least once a year, ideally with a verified home monitor, or at your local pharmacy or GP.

2025 showed what’s possible when communities, partners and supporters pull together. In 2026 we’re building on that momentum with more places to check, more conversations, and more people taking control of their numbers.