WHO publishes the largest global collection of data on health inequality

Today, WHO is launching the Health Inequalities Data Repository, the most comprehensive global collection of publicly available disaggregated data and evidence on population health and its determinants. The repository enables tracking of health inequalities between population groups and over time, by disaggregating data by group characteristics, ranging from education level to ethnicity.

Data from the repository show that in just a decade, the rich-poor gap in health service coverage among women, newborns and children in low- and middle-income countries has almost halved. They also find that in these countries, eliminating wealth-related disparities in under-five mortality could save the lives of 1.8 million children.

The Health Inequalities Data Repository (HIDR) includes nearly 11 million data points and consists of 59 datasets from more than 15 sources. The data includes measurements of over 2,000 indicators broken down into 22 dimensions of inequality, including demographic, socioeconomic and geographic factors. Topics covered include: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); COVID 19; reproductive health, maternal and child health; immunization; HIV; tuberculosis; malaria; diet; health care; non-communicable diseases and environmental health.

“The ability to direct services to those who need them most is key to advancing health equity and improving lives. Designed as a comprehensive place for health inequality data, the Repository will help us move beyond just counting births and deaths to disaggregating health data by gender, age, education, region and more,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General WHO. “If we’re truly committed to leaving no one behind, we need to figure out who we’re missing.”

However, for many health indicators, disaggregated data is still not available, and where it is available, it is usually disaggregated only by gender and, to a lesser extent, by age and place of residence. For example, only 170 of the 320 indicators in the WHO portal for health-related statistics, Global Health Observatorywere broken down, of which 116, or two thirds, were broken down only by gender.

Although limited, available disaggregated data reveal important patterns of inequality. In high-income countries, hypertension is more common among men than among women, and obesity rates are similar among men and women. In contrast, in low-income countries, hypertension rates are similar among women and men, but obesity rates are higher among women than among men.

The repository also reveals disparities in national responses to COVID-19. In 2021, in more than a third of the 90 countries with data, vaccination coverage against COVID-19 among the most educated was at least 15 percentage points higher than among the least educated.

In publishing the HIDR, WHO calls on countries to adopt routine monitoring of health inequalities, make disaggregated data publicly available, expand data collection and increase capacity for analysis and reporting. Inequalities analyzes should be conducted regularly at the global, national and subnational levels, with monitoring of health inequalities integrated into global and national goals, indicators and targets, and health performance assessments. WHO is committed to working with countries and partners to annually update and expand this resource.

Notes to editors

In addition to WHO, the main data sources include: the UNICEF data warehouse; DHS program; UNAIDS; United Nations Development Program (UNDP); United Nations Statistics Database on SDG Indicators; Eurostat; World Bank; Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); Global Data Lab; Global survey on trends and impact of COVID-19; and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).

All datasets hydrate can be explored using Health Equity Assessment Tools (HEAT) software and download via Health Inequality Monitor websiteas well as through application programming interfaces (APIs).

HIDR will be launched during a webinar April 20, 2023 from 13:00 – 14:15 CET.

AND review of WHO resources and contributions to strengthen and expand monitoring of health inequalities to advance health equity can also be found in International Journal of Health Equity.