According to the World Health Statistics 2026 report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO), the world is not on track to meet key health targets. Progress has been inconsistent, slowing in many places and even reversing in some areas.

Over the past decade, global health has improved in several important ways, with millions gaining access to prevention, treatment, and essential services. Yet ongoing and emerging challenges mean that none of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are currently on course to be achieved by 2030.

The report highlights several notable gains:

• new HIV infections declined by 40% between 2010 and 2024;

• tobacco use and alcohol consumption have both decreased since 2010; and

• the number of people requiring interventions for neglected tropical diseases fell by 36% from 2010 to 2024.

Access to services that directly influence health outcomes expanded significantly between 2015 and 2024. During this time, 961 million additional people obtained safely managed drinking water, 1.2 billion gained access to sanitation, 1.6 billion to basic hygiene services, and 1.4 billion to clean cooking solutions.

Some regions have made particularly strong progress. The WHO African Region recorded sharper-than-global declines in HIV (-70%) and tuberculosis (-28%), while the South-East Asia Region remains on course to reach its 2025 milestone for reducing malaria.

Despite these advances, major obstacles persist. Global malaria incidence has risen by 8.5% since 2015, moving the world further from its targets. Progress varies widely across regions, with some countries advancing and others falling behind.

Preventable risk factors continue to hold back improvements in health. Anaemia affects 30.7% of women of reproductive age, with no meaningful reduction over the past decade. In 2024, 5.5% of children under five were overweight. Violence against women remains widespread, with one in four women globally experiencing intimate partner violence. These trends underline the urgent need for stronger prevention efforts and reinforced social protection policies.

“The data show a mixed picture of progress and deep inequality, with many people – particularly women, children, and those in underserved communities – still lacking the foundations for a healthy life,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Building stronger and more equitable health systems, including resilient data systems, is essential to direct action, close gaps, and ensure accountability.”

Urgent need to safeguard progress under strain

Advancement toward universal health coverage (UHC) has slowed considerably. The global UHC service coverage index increased only slightly, from 68 to 71, between 2015 and 2023. One in four people worldwide experienced financial hardship due to health expenses, and in 2022, 1.6 billion individuals were living in or pushed into poverty because of out-of-pocket health payments. Meanwhile, childhood vaccination rates remain below target levels, contributing to renewed outbreaks linked to immunity gaps.

Although maternal mortality has dropped by 40% since 2000, it is still nearly three times higher than the 2030 goal. Under-five mortality has fallen by 51%, yet many countries remain off track. Since 2015, progress in reducing premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases has slowed significantly.

Key drivers of poor health – including nutritional, behavioural, and environmental risks – are not declining quickly enough. Air pollution was responsible for an estimated 6.6 million deaths globally in 2021, while inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene caused 1.4 million deaths in 2019.

“These patterns represent far too many preventable deaths,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, Access and Data. “With growing environmental threats, recurring health emergencies, and increasing financial pressures on health systems, urgent action is needed. Strengthening primary health care, investing in prevention, and securing sustainable financing are critical to rebuilding momentum.”

The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed weaknesses in health systems worldwide. Between 2020 and 2023, it was associated with an estimated 22.1 million excess deaths, including indirect fatalities – more than three times the number of officially reported COVID-19 deaths. The pandemic erased a decade of gains in life expectancy, and recovery remains uneven and incomplete across regions.

Stronger data for stronger health systems

The report also identifies serious gaps in health data that hinder accurate monitoring of progress. By the end of 2025, only 18% of countries were submitting mortality data to WHO within one year, and nearly one third had never reported cause-of-death data. Just one third of countries meet WHO standards for high-quality mortality statistics, while about half have low, very low, or no reliable data at all. Of the estimated 61 million deaths worldwide in 2023, only around one third included cause-of-death information, and only about one fifth were coded using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) in a meaningful way.

“Without timely and reliable data, it is difficult to track health trends, compare results across countries, or design effective public health responses,” said Dr Alain Labrique, Director of the Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. “Encouraging investments in digital systems and improved reporting standards must continue, enabling countries to gather, integrate, analyse, and use health data to guide better decisions.”

The World Health Statistics 2026 report delivers a clear conclusion: while global health initiatives are making a difference, progress remains fragile and insufficient. Faster action, stronger health systems, and improved data collection are urgently required to accelerate progress toward the 2030 health goals.

About WHO

The World Health Organization is dedicated to improving health and well-being for all people, guided by science and a commitment to equity.

As the United Nations agency for health, WHO works in more than 150 locations worldwide, coordinating international responses to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the underlying causes of ill health, and expanding access to essential medicines and care. Its mission is to promote health, keep the world safe, and protect the most vulnerable populations.

“Together for health. Stand with science,” the theme of World Health Day 2026, launches a year-long campaign emphasizing the central role of science in safeguarding global health and well-being.