The world remains off track to achieve the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, despite notable gains in disease prevention, treatment and access to essential services, according to the newly released World Health Organization World Health Statistics 2026 report.
The report, published Wednesday evening, says global health progress has been uneven and, in some areas, is reversing due to persistent inequalities, environmental risks, funding pressures and weaknesses in health systems.
According to WHO, significant improvements have been registered over the last decade. New HIV infections declined by 40 percent between 2010 and 2024, while the number of people requiring interventions for neglected tropical diseases dropped by 36 percent during the same period.
Access to basic services also expanded considerably between 2015 and 2024, with nearly one billion people gaining access to safely managed drinking water, 1.2 billion accessing sanitation services, 1.6 billion obtaining basic hygiene services, and 1.4 billion benefiting from clean cooking solutions.
The report further highlights that the African region achieved faster-than-global reductions in HIV infections and tuberculosis, with HIV infections dropping by 70 percent and tuberculosis by 28 percent.
However, WHO warns that progress remains fragile and inconsistent across regions. Malaria incidence has risen by 8.5 percent since 2015, moving the world further away from global targets.
Preventable health risks also continue to undermine gains. The report says anaemia still affects 30.7 percent of women of reproductive age globally, while overweight prevalence among children under five reached 5.5 percent in 2024. Violence against women also remains widespread, with one in four women globally experiencing intimate partner violence.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the findings reveal both progress and persistent inequality, particularly affecting women, children and underserved communities.
He stressed the need for stronger and more equitable health systems, including resilient health data systems, to improve accountability and close healthcare gaps.
The report also indicates that progress toward universal health coverage has slowed sharply. Between 2015 and 2023, the global UHC service coverage index increased only slightly from 68 to 71.
Meanwhile, one quarter of the world’s population experienced financial hardship due to healthcare costs, and 1.6 billion people were pushed into poverty by out-of-pocket medical expenses in 2022.
Although global maternal mortality has fallen by 40 percent since 2000, WHO says the figure remains nearly three times higher than the 2030 target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births. Under-five mortality has also declined by 51 percent, though many countries are still not on track to meet global goals.
Environmental and behavioural risks continue contributing significantly to deaths worldwide. Air pollution alone accounted for an estimated 6.6 million deaths in 2021, while inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene caused approximately 1.4 million deaths in 2019.
Yukiko Nakatani said the trends reflect avoidable deaths and called for urgent investment in prevention, primary healthcare and sustainable financing to strengthen resilience in health systems.
The report further notes that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed major vulnerabilities in global healthcare systems. Between 2020 and 2023, the pandemic was linked to an estimated 22.1 million excess deaths, more than three times the officially reported global COVID-19 death toll. WHO says the pandemic reversed years of progress in life expectancy, with recovery remaining incomplete and uneven.
WHO also raised concerns about major data gaps affecting global health monitoring. By the end of 2025, only 18 percent of countries were reporting mortality data within one year, while nearly one third had never submitted cause-of-death data.
Alain Labrique warned that poor-quality data limits countries’ ability to monitor health trends and respond effectively to public health emergencies. He urged governments to continue investing in stronger digital health and reporting systems.
The World Health Statistics 2026 report concludes that while global health efforts continue producing results, current progress remains too slow and fragile to meet the 2030 health targets-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
