ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the association of anthropometric indicators of adiposity in older people, according to sex, with hypertension; to compare the scores of these variables between participants with and without hypertension; and to identify among them those with better predictive ability for screening the outcome. Methods: Epidemiological, population-based, cross-sectional study conducted with 210 older people. The anthropometric indicators analyzed were: body mass index, waist circumference, abdominal circumference, body adiposity index, triceps skinfold, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, and conicity index. Hypertension diagnosis was self-reported. Results: The indicators of adiposity increased the probability of hypertension. Additionally, hypertensive older people of both sexes showed higher scores on adiposity indicators than non-hypertensive subjects (p < 0.05). For men, the most sensitive indicator for the outcome was conicity index (81.82%; cut-off point: 1.30) and the most specific was body mass index (69.77%; cut-off point: 25.05 kg/m2). For women, the most sensitive indicator for the outcome was the body adiposity index (86.08%; cut-off point: 31.03%), and the most specific was the abdominal circumference (82.82%; cut-off point: 98.70 cm). Conclusion: In both sexes, the indicators of adiposity were positively associated with hypertension; hypertensive participants showed higher values in the scores of the indicators. Additionally, the body adiposity index (women) and conicity index (men) demonstrated greater ability to screen for hypertension, while the abdominal circumference and body mass index demonstrated greater ability to screen for non-hypertensive women and men, respectively.