Poor Health, Malnutrition and Disease
The right to health is one of a set of internationally agreed human rights standards, and is inseparable or ‘indivisible’ from these other rights. This means achieving the right to health is both central to, and dependent upon, the realisation of other human rights, to food, housing, work, education, information, and participation.
The right to health, as with other rights, includes both freedoms and entitlements:
- Freedoms include the right to control one’s health and body (for example, sexual and reproductive rights) and to be free from interference (for example, free from torture and non-consensual medical treatment and experimentation).
- Entitlements include the right to a system of health protection that gives everyone an equal opportunity to enjoy the highest attainable level of health.[Source: WHO]
What has not improved
Progress has stalled or trends are in the wrong direction for five of the 29 health-related SDG indicators for which trends are reported: the proportion of children aged under 5 years who are overweight, malaria incidence, harmful use of alcohol, deaths from road traffic injuries, and water-sector official development assistance. [Source: World Health Statistics 2019 - Overview]
Million Deaths Worldwide
Million Lives
Million Deaths Worldwide
Disparities in health outcomes
Life expectancy at birth in low-income countries is 18.1 years lower than in high-income countries. Much of this difference is attributable to preventable and treatable conditions. [Source: World Health Statistics 2019 - Overview]