The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new set of interactive health inequality country profiles designed to help countries monitor and assess progress toward achieving health equity. The profiles provide country-level snapshots of health inequalities based on indicators aligned with WHO’s Fourteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 14), the organization’s principal global health strategy focused on improving health and well-being for all.
GPW 14 aims to advance health equity, strengthen resilience, and support progress toward the global “triple billion” targets. These targets include ensuring that six billion people enjoy healthier lives, five billion people benefit from universal health coverage without financial hardship, and seven billion people are better protected from health emergencies.
The new country profiles analyze inequalities across a range of health indicators and population groups. Of the 84 outcome indicators included in GPW 14, WHO identified 67 indicators that can be disaggregated according to dimensions of inequality such as age, sex, economic status, education level, and place of residence. The profiles currently contain information on 45 of these indicators or related proxy indicators, alongside healthy life expectancy data.
The profiles cover a wide range of health topics including universal health coverage, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, reproductive and maternal health, child and adolescent health, health emergencies, and broader determinants of health. The data is available for 195 countries, territories, and areas worldwide.
According to WHO, the country profiles draw from 11 publicly available data sources contained within the WHO Health Inequality Data Repository. The platform provides both a snapshot of current inequality levels and information on changes in inequality over time, helping governments and stakeholders identify population groups that may require targeted interventions and policy responses.
The interactive platform allows users to customize graphics and data displays according to their needs and preferences. Country datasets can also be downloaded for further analysis and use. WHO stated that the profiles are accessible on both desktop and mobile devices and are supported by technical notes and metadata to improve usability and transparency.
WHO officials emphasized that the platform also highlights areas where inequality data may not yet be publicly available, drawing attention to opportunities for countries to strengthen health information systems and improve data collection practices.
The health inequality country profiles were developed through a broad consultation process involving WHO headquarters, regional and country offices, global health partners, health inequality specialists, and data experts. Feedback from these stakeholders was used to refine the structure and content of the platform before its official launch.
WHO announced that the country profiles will be updated annually to support ongoing monitoring of health inequalities and progress toward global health equity objectives.
