A new report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that global health progress is at risk, stating that the world is falling short of its goals as advances have been uneven, slowing down, and declining in certain areas.
The WHO noted that despite significant improvements in global health over the last decade, which provided better prevention, treatment, and access to basic services for millions, humanity remains off track to achieve any of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
The report provided several examples of major successes. Between 2010 and 2024, new HIV infections declined by 40 percent. Similarly, consumption of tobacco and alcohol has decreased since 2010, and the number of people needing treatment for neglected tropical diseases fell by 36 percent. Furthermore, access to services that influence health outcomes expanded rapidly between 2015 and 2024: 961 million people gained access to safely managed drinking water; 1.2 billion gained sanitation facilities; 1.6 billion gained basic hygiene; and 1.4 billion gained clean cooking sources. Regionally, the WHO Africa area achieved faster declines in HIV (-70 percent) and Tuberculosis (-28 percent) than the global average, while Southeast Asia is on track to reach its 2025 targets for malaria reduction.
However, persistent challenges threaten to pull the world further from these global targets. For instance, the incidence of malaria rose by 8.5 percent since 2015. Preventive risks continue to impede progress, with anaemia affecting 30.7 percent of women of childbearing age-showing no improvement over the last decade. The prevalence of overweight among children under five years reached 5.5 percent in 2024. Furthermore, violence against women remains widespread, affecting one in four women worldwide.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that “these data tell a story of both progress and persistent inequality. Many people-especially women, children, and members of underserved communities-still lack the prerequisites for a healthy life”. He concluded by stating that investment in stronger, fairer health systems, including resilient data systems, is essential to implement targeted measures, close gaps, and ensure accountability.
