“The world is falling short on health targets, with progress uneven, slowing, and in some areas reversing, according to the World Health Statistics 2026 report, published today by the World Health Organization (WHO).
While there have been meaningful improvements in global health over the past decade, with millions benefiting from better prevention, treatment and access to essential services, persistent and emerging challenges mean that the world remains off track to achieve any of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
The notable progress outlined in the report includes:
- new HIV infections fell by 40% between 2010 and 2024;
- both tobacco use and alcohol consumption have declined since 2010; and
- the number of people needing interventions for neglected tropical diseases has dropped by 36% between 2010 and 2024.
Access to services that shape health outcomes expanded rapidly between 2015 and 2024. During this period, 961 million people gained access to safely managed drinking water, 1.2 billion to sanitation, 1.6 billion to basic hygiene, and 1.4 billion to clean cooking solutions.
Encouragingly, the WHO African Region has achieved faster-than-global reductions in HIV (-70%) and tuberculosis (-28%), and the South-East Asia Region is on track to meet its 2025 milestone for malaria reduction.
However, challenges remain. For example, malaria incidence increased by 8.5% since 2015, moving the world further away from global targets while overall progress remains highly uneven across regions.
Preventable risks continue to undermine health, slowing progress. Anaemia affects 30.7% of women of reproductive age, with no improvement over the past decade. The prevalence of overweight among children under five reached 5.5% in 2024. Â Violence against women remains widespread, with intimate partner violence affecting 1 in 4 women globally.”
