Elderly Blood Pressure Range: What Is Normal?
The elderly blood pressure range is the same set of bands used for every adult. What differs for older people is how a doctor uses those bands. This page gives the ranges in one place.
The full range
| Range | Reading (mmHg) | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Below 90/60 | Can cause dizziness and falls. Check how you feel. |
| Normal | Below 120/80 | A healthy reading. |
| Elevated | 120 to 129 and below 80 | Above ideal. Keep checking. |
| Stage 1 high | 130 to 139 or 80 to 89 | Talk to your doctor if it stays here. |
| Stage 2 high | 140 or more or 90 or more | See your doctor. |
| Severe | Above 180 and/or above 120 | Recheck after rest. If it stays this high, get urgent advice. |
When the top and bottom numbers fall in different bands, the higher band counts. For example 118/92 is stage 2 because of the bottom number.
Try your own numbers on the chart and see the guideline sources on the medical review page.
Is a higher range acceptable in old age?
Not as a rule. The idea that a high reading is “normal for your age” is a myth. Some very old or frail people do have a doctor-set target that is higher than the general one, because lowering pressure too far can cause falls. That decision belongs to the doctor who knows the person. Our chart by age and height guide explains this further.
UK and European ranges
The UK uses 140/90 as the clinic threshold for high blood pressure and 135/85 at home. The 2024 European guideline defines elevated pressure as 120 to 139 on top or 70 to 89 on the bottom, with treatment usually from 140/90. See the NHS and UK guide.
Pulse pressure
The gap between the top and bottom numbers is the pulse pressure. In older adults it often widens as arteries stiffen. A very wide gap, say 80 or more, is worth mentioning to your doctor.
Elderly blood pressure target: what the SPRINT trial found
The SPRINT trial, published in 2015, compared a systolic target below 120 with a target below 140 in adults aged 50 and over who had a higher risk of heart disease, including many aged 75 and over. The lower target meant fewer heart attacks, strokes, cases of heart failure and deaths in the trial, but it also caused more episodes of low blood pressure, fainting and kidney problems. People with diabetes or a previous stroke were not included. Guidelines since then, including the 2025 AHA/ACC guideline, aim for below 130/80 for most adults, and set individual targets for people who are frail. Your doctor, not a trial or a website, sets your elderly blood pressure target.
Making the range useful
- Take readings at the same times each day and record them in the log.
- Use a seven-day average rather than one number.
- Print a large chart for the kitchen.
- If low readings worry you, read elderly blood pressure too low.
This article is general information only and is not medical advice.
Check your own reading
Type your two numbers into the chart and see where they sit, in plain words.