Global health gains face threat of reversal
The world is falling short on health targets, with progress uneven, slowing, and in some areas reversing, according to the World Health Statistics 2026 report, published today by t
The world is falling short on health targets, with progress uneven, slowing, and in some areas reversing, according to the World Health Statistics 2026 report, published today by the World Health Organization (WHO). While there have been meaningful improvements in global health over the past decade, with millions benefiting from better prevention, treatment and access to essential services, persis
Key points
- The notable progress outlined in the report includes: Access to services that shape health outcomes expanded rapidly between 2015 and 2024.
- During this period, 961 million people gained access to safely managed drinking water, 1.2 billion to sanitation, 1.6 billion to basic hygiene, and 1.4 billion to clean cooking solutions.
- Encouragingly, the WHO African Region has achieved faster-than-global reductions in HIV (-70%) and tuberculosis (-28%), and the South-East Asia Region is on track to meet its 2025 milestone for mal…
- For example, malaria incidence increased by 8.5% since 2015, moving the world further away from global targets while overall progress remains highly uneven across regions.
- Preventable risks continue to undermine health, slowing progress.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by WHO News.