WHO’s “World Health Statistics 2026” Report: Uneven Progress Threatens 2030 SDG Targets

WHO’s “World Health Statistics 2026” Report: Uneven Progress Threatens 2030 SDG Targets

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its “World Health Statistics 2026” report, warning that global progress on health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains uneven and is insufficient to meet the 2030 targets.World Health Statistics is WHO’s annual flagship publication that compiles health-related statistics and SDG indicators for WHO Member States.The 2026 edition monitors progress towards SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and other health-related SDG targets, while also assessing WHO’s “Triple Billion Targets”.The report highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic caused severe disruptions to global health systems, reversing several years of progress in life expectancy, maternal and child health, immunisation, and disease control.The assessment is based on country reporting systems, WHO databases, SDG indicators, and excess mortality estimates associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Findings of the Report

¨    Slow Progress Towards Health SDGs: WHO warned that global progress towards health-related SDGs remains uneven and insufficient to achieve the 2030 targets.

Trends in Infectious Diseases: The report noted long-term improvements in some infectious diseases between 2010 and 2024:

¨     New HIV infections declined by nearly 40%.

¨     Tuberculosis incidence declined by around 12%.

¨ The number of people requiring interventions for neglected tropical diseases declined by 36%.

¨   However, global malaria incidence increased by 8.5% since 2015, moving away from the SDG target.

COVID-19 and Excess Mortality

¨     WHO estimated around 22.1 million excess deaths globally between 2020 and 2023 due to the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic — nearly three times the officially reported 7 million deaths.

¨  The pandemic erased nearly a decade of gains in global life expectancy and Healthy Life Expectancy (HALE).

Maternal, Child and Non-Communicable Diseases:

Since 2000,Maternal mortality declined by around 40%.

¨     Under-five mortality declined by around 51%.

¨   Premature mortality from four major non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases) declined by more than 20%.

¨   However, progress has slowed in the SDG era, and many countries remain off track to meet the targets.

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Financial Burden

¨   Progress towards Universal Health Coverage has slowed significantly, with the global UHC service coverage index increasing only from 68 (2015) to 71 (2023).

¨     Around one-fourth of the global population faces financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health expenditure, while nearly 1.6 billion people were living in or pushed into poverty because of health expenses in 2022.

Policy Recommendations

¨  Strengthening Universal Health Coverage: Countries need to expand affordable and equitable access to healthcare services while reducing out-of-pocket expenditure and financial hardship.

¨ Improving Pandemic Preparedness: Greater investments are required in disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, vaccine systems, and resilient public health infrastructure.

¨   Bridging Health Inequalities: Governments should prioritise vulnerable populations through improved maternal health, nutrition, immunisation, and primary healthcare services.

¨ Strengthening Health Data Systems: WHO emphasised the need for timely mortality reporting, robust civil registration systems, and improved health data collection and monitoring mechanisms.