Table 1.

General characteristics of included studies.

s/no	First author, Year of publication, Country	Study population	Sample size (N) {Response rate}	Rural participants N (%)	Female participants N (%)	Mean age ± SD (years)	Overall prevalence of HTN (%)	Prevalence of HTN in rural area(s) (%)	Prevalence of HTN in urban area(s) (%)
1.	Abegunde, 2013, Nigeria [14]	Elderly persons (aged ≥ 60 years) residing in Oyo state, South-western Nigeria	630 {98.4%}	314 (49.8)	385 (61.1)	[NR] (range 60– 110 years) Rural 70.8 ± 8.1 Urban 72.2 ± 9.5	36.5	34.7	38.3
2.	Agyemang, 2006, Ghana [12]	Residents of Ashanti region of Ghana	1431 {Reported as “high”}	578 (40.4)	787 (55.0)	35.9 ± 0.8	29.4	[NR] Males 27.0 Females 27.0	[NR] Males 33.4 Females 28.9
3.	Agyemang, 2017, Ghana [31]	Adults aged 25–70 years living in rural and urban Ghana	2492 {NR}	1034 (41.9)	1671 (67.1)	[NR] Rural men 46.2 Rural women 46.7 Urban men 46.5 Urban women 44.7	[NR]	[NR] Men 22.2 Women 27.9	[NR] Men 34.2 Women 29.4
4.	Banigbe, 2020, Nigeria [27]	Male partners (aged ≥ 18 years) of pregnant women participating in a “Healthy Beginning Initiative” between 2016–2018 in Benue State, North-central Nigeria	6538 {NR}	5087 (77.8) Semi-urban 1204 (18.4)	0 (0)	[NR] Median age 31 years (IQR: 26 – 37 years)	23.4	23.2 Semi-urban: 21.8	34.8
5.	Cappuccio, 2004, Ghana** [37]	Residents of Ashanti region of Ghana aged 40–75 years	1013 {53.4%}	481 (47.5)	628 (62.0)	54.7 ± 11.3	28.7	24.1	Semi-urban 32.9
6.	Ejim, 2013, Nigeria [15]	Residents of Enugu state, South-eastern Nigeria aged 40–70 years	543 {NR} Rural 70.4% Urban 40%	308 (56.7)	373 (68.7)	56.3 ± 9.9	47.7	45.1	51.1
7.	Houehanou, 2015, Benin [10]	Randomly selected national sample of persons in Benin aged above 24 years and below 65 years.	6762 {99%}	4491 (66.4)	3345 (49.5)	42.8 ± 0.3	28.4	27.5	29.9
8.	Kodaman, 2016, Ghana [7]	Residents of Brong Ahafo region of Ghana aged ≥18 years	3317 {NR}	1052 (31.7)	1876 (56.6)	[NR] (range 18 – 99 years) Rural Males 44.9 ± 17.2 Females 43.9 ± 15.9 Urban Males 42.9 ± 12.6 Females 42.1 ± 11.3	[NR]	[NR] Males 20 Females 21	[NR] Males 34 Females 32
9.	Minicuci, 2014, Ghana [11]	Nationally representative sample of ageing population (aged 50 years and above) across the 10 regions of the country	4724 {95.9%}	2806 (59.4)	2376 (50.3)	[NR] (modal age group 50 – 64 years)	Self-reported HTN: 14.2 Measured HTN: 51.1	Self-reported HTN: 8.0 Measured HTN: 45.6	Self-reported HTN: 23.1 Measured HTN: 59.2
10.	Ntandou, 2009, Benin [13]	Persons aged 25–60 years who had been living in the study area for at least 6 months	541 {NR}	170 (31.4) Semi-urban 171 (31.6)	270 (49.9)	[NR] Men 37.3 ± 10.1 Women 39.0 ± 10.0	[NR]	24.1	semi-urban 21.6 urban 26.5
11.	Obirikorang, 2015, Ghana [33]	Residents of Ashanti region of Ghana	672 {NR}	360 (53.6)	360 (53.6)	[NR] (Median age 50 years (IQR) 39–58)	34.8	36.7	32.7
12.	Odili, 2020, Nigeria [30]	Adults (aged ≥ 18 years) from 12 rural and urban communities from a state each in the 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria.	2503 {77.3%}	1332 (53.2)	1424 (56.9)	43.8 ± 16.2	32.0	[NR] South-East 60 South-South 46.5 South-West 41.3 North-Central 18.0 North-West 27.2 North-East 25.6	[NR] South-East 53.6 South-South 37.7 South-West 39.4 North-Central 20.7 North-West 15.6 North-East 35.1
13.	Odland, 2020, Sierra Leone [23]	Individual over 40 years randomly selected in a household survey based on WHO STEPS survey	2071 {NR}	1302 (62.9)	1015 (49.0)	[NR] Median age 51.0 years (IQR 45.0 to 63.0 years)	49.6	46.0	55.8
14.	Ogah, 2013, Nigeria [50]	Residents of Abia state, South-Eastern Nigeria aged ≥ 18 years	2928 {99.5%}	1553 (53.0)	1528 (52.2)	41.8 ± 18.5	[NR] Systolic HTN 31.4 Diastolic HTN 22.5	[NR] Systolic HTN Men 33.5 Women 30.5 Diastolic HTN Men 23.4 Women 25.4	[NR] Systolic HTN Men 33.6 Women 26.4 Diastolic HTN Men 20.6 Women 18.4
15.	Oguoma, 2015, Nigeria [51]	Residents of Delta and Lagos states aged ≥ 18 years	422 {NR}	326 (77.2)	273 (64.7)	[NR] Females 42.9 ± 20.7 Males 38.3 ± 20.5	35.7	[NR] Abbi 37.3 Kwale 23.3	53.3
16.	Okello, 2020,Nigeria** [36]	Adults aged ≥18 years from seven countries in East and West Africa. Included 3 rural and 1 “semi-urban” sites in Nigeria	2065 from Nigeria {100%}	1576 (76.3) Semi-urban 489 (23.7)	1162 (56.3)	N/A^ Rural Ogane-Uge: 39.2 ± 19.5 Okpok Ikpa: 38.5 ± 14.0 Olorunda Abaa: 41.2 ± 12.9 Semi-urban Ikire: 48.1 ± 18.1	N/A^	[NR] Ogane-Uge: 33.0 Okpok Ikpak: 20.4 Olorunda Abaa: 23.3	Semi-urban Ikire: 38.6
17.	Okpechi, 2013, Nigeria [32]	Residents of Abia state, South-eastern Nigeria aged ≥18 years	2983 {99.5%}	1587 (53.2)	1553 (52.1)	41.7 (SEM = ± 0.3)	31.4	32.0	30.7
18.	Oyekale, 2019, Ghana [28]	Women aged 15-49 years in a nationwide Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in 2014	9367 {97%}	4329 (46.2)	9367 (100)	[NR] Age range 15-49 years.	13.3	9.7	16.3
19.	Seck, 2014, Senegal [34]	Residents of St Louis, Senegal aged ≥18 years living in the study area for at least 3 months	1036 {99%}	458 (44.2)	622 (60)	48.0 ± 16.9	39.1	33.8	43.3
20.	Soubeiga, 2017, Burkina Faso [29]	Nationally representative sample of persons aged 25 to 64 years who had been residing in the country for at least six months on the day of the survey	4629 {96.4%}	3600 (77.8)	2399 (51.8)	[NR] (modal age group 25 – 34 years)	18	15.4	24.8
21.	Umuerri, 2020, Nigeria [52]	Adults aged ≥18 years from two communities in Delta State who have lived in the study sites for at least one (1) year	852 {NR}	377 (44.2)	476 (55.9)	42.6 ± 16.1	29.3	21.8	35.4
22.	van der Sande, 2000, Gambia [48]	Persons aged ≥ 15 years who had been residing in the country for at least six months on the day of the survey	5389 {78.1%}	3223 (59.8)	3161 (58.6)	35.4 (±NR)	18.4	17.8	20.3

**rural and semi-urban participants only. No urban participants. ^includes data from outside west Africa.

[NR] = Not reported; N/A = not applicable; BP = blood pressure; SBP = systolic blood pressure; DBP = diastolic blood pressure; HTN = hypertension; SD = Standard deviation; SEM = standard error of means.