Urgent action is needed to address the impasse in achieving the health-related Sustainable Development Goals

WHO publishes 2023 edition of its annual World Health Statistics report with new figures on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the latest statistics on progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The report, with data up to 2022, highlights the stagnation of health progress in key health indicators in recent years compared to trends observed during 2000-2015. It also warns us of the growing threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and climate change and calls for a coordinated and stronger response.

COVID-19 costs lives lost and health advances

The report documents updated statistics on the impact of the pandemic on global health, contributing to a steady decline in progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. During 2020-2021, COVID-19 resulted in a staggering 336.8 million years of life lost globally. This equates to an average of 22 years of life lost for each excess death, abruptly and tragically ending the lives of millions of people.

Since 2000, we have seen significant improvements in maternal and child health, with mortality rates falling by one-third and one-half, respectively. The incidence of infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria has also decreased, along with a reduced risk of premature death from NCDs and injuries. Together, this has contributed to an increase in global life expectancy from 67 years in 2000 to 73 years in 2019.

However, the pandemic has further skewed many health-related indicators and contributed to inequalities in access to high-quality health care, routine vaccinations and financial protection. As a result, the improvement trends in malaria and tuberculosis were reversed, and fewer people were treated for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

“World health statistics is an annual check of the state of world health carried out by the WHO. The report sends a stark message about the threat of non-communicable diseases, which take a huge and growing toll on lives, livelihoods, health systems, communities, economies and societies,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The report calls for a significant increase in investment in health and health systems to get back on track towards the Sustainable Development Goals.”

NCD ̶ an increasing threat to the health of future generations

Despite overall health progress, the proportion of deaths caused by non-communicable diseases continues to rise and now accounts for nearly three-quarters of all lives lost each year.

If this trend continues, NCDs are predicted to be responsible for about 86% of the 90 million annual deaths by mid-century; consequently, 77 million of them will be caused by NCDs – an increase of almost 90% in absolute numbers since 2019.

Stagnant progress requires acceleration

Recent trends show signs of slowing annual rate of decline (ARR) for many indicators. For example, the global maternal mortality ratio must be reduced by 11.6% per year between 2021 and 2030 to meet the SDG target. Similarly, the net reduction in TB incidence from 2015 to 2021 was only one-fifth of the way to the 2025 milestone of the World Health Strategy to End TB.

Despite reductions in exposure to many health risks – such as tobacco use, alcohol consumption, violence, unsafe water and sanitation, and stunting in children – progress has been insufficient, and exposure to some risks such as air pollution remains high.

Worryingly, the prevalence of obesity is increasing with no immediate signs of reversal. Furthermore, expanded access to basic health services has slowed compared to pre-2015 gains, with no significant progress in reducing financial hardship due to health care costs. This drastically limits our ability to achieve universal health care by 2030.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is an important reminder that progress is neither linear nor guaranteed,” warns Dr. Samira Asma, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact. “To stay on track towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we must act decisively and collectively to deliver measurable impact in all countries.”

This year’s report includes a separate section on climate change and health for the first time, and we expect this to be more relevant in future reports. For this issue and all other areas, timely, reliable and disaggregated data are essential to monitor progress and improve national and global health policies.

Editor’s note: The World Health Statistics Report is an annual collection of the latest available data on health and health indicators from the World Health Organization (WHO).

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