The association between BP and risk for ESRD has not been well characterized in Asian populations. This study examined the relationship between level of BP and incidence of ESRD in a prospective cohort study of 158,365 Chinese men and women who were 40 yr and older. Measurement of BP and covariables were made in 1991 following a standard protocol. Follow-up evaluations were conducted in 1999 to 2000 and included interviewing participants or proxies and obtaining medical records and death certificates for ESRD cases. During 1,236,422 person-years of follow-up, 380 participants initiated renal replacement therapy or died from renal failure (30.7 cases per 100,000 person-years). Compared with those with normal BP, the multivariate adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of all-cause ESRD for prehypertension and stage 1 and stage 2 hypertension were 1.30 (0.98 to 1.74), 1.47 (1.06 to 2.06), and 2.60 (1.89 to 3.57), respectively (P < 0.001 for trend). The corresponding hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of glomerulonephritis-related ESRD were 1.32 (0.82 to 2.11), 1.48 (0.83 to 2.61), and 3.40 (2.02 to 5.74), respectively (P <0.001 for trend). Systolic BP was a stronger predictor of ESRD than diastolic BP or pulse pressure. This study provides novel data on the incidence of ESRD and on the association between BP and glomerulonephritis-related ESRD from a nationally representative sample of adults in China. These results document the importance of high BP as a modifiable risk factor for ESRD in China. Strategies to prevent ESRD should incorporate the prevention, treatment, and control of BP.