Countries are entering a critical phase in achieving the health Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with Universal Health Coverage (UHC) at the core of these efforts. With only six years remaining to meet these goals, global progress toward UHC has been slow, and the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant setbacks.
At this pivotal juncture, we introduce two new reports that provide a comprehensive view of trends and prospects of government investments in health for almost the entire SDG period (2015-2029). The first examines government health spending trends in 63 low- and lower-middle-income countries from 2015 to 2023, while the second offers an outlook on government health expenditure for 170 countries through 2029. In contrast to expenditure figures, spending estimates exclude obligatory contributions to social health insurance, which, however, generally constitute only a minor source of public funding for health in low-income countries (LICs) and lower middle-income countries (LMICs).
Blog » Investing in health: Time for a rethink
Investing in health: Time for a rethink
World Bank Blogs Investing in health: Time for a rethink
By: Christoph Kurowski Martin Schmidt David B. Evans, November 07, 2024
Countries are entering a critical phase in achieving the health Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with Universal Health Coverage (UHC) at the core of these efforts. With only six years remaining to meet these goals, global progress toward UHC has been slow, and the COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant setbacks.
At this pivotal juncture, we introduce two new reports that provide a comprehensive view of trends and prospects of government investments in health for almost the entire SDG period (2015-2029). The first examines government health spending trends in 63 low- and lower-middle-income countries from 2015 to 2023, while the second offers an outlook on government health expenditure for 170 countries through 2029. In contrast to expenditure figures, spending estimates exclude obligatory contributions to social health insurance, which, however, generally constitute only a minor source of public funding for health in low-income countries (LICs) and lower middle-income countries (LMICs).
The findings from these reports reveal troubling trends across LICs and LMICs, exposing serious risks to the sustainability of health investments. Fully attaining the SDG health targets is slipping out of reach for many nations, highlighting the urgent need for decisive action to address growing financing challenges. With these targets at risk, the World Bank Group remains committed to helping countries deliver quality, affordable health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030 as part of our global mission to ensure a basic standard of care throughout every stage of life.
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