WHO worrries over 33-year life expectancy gap in developed, developing countries

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday expressed concern over a 33-year gap in life expectancy between the world’s richest (developed) and poorest (developing) countries, stressing what it described as “global health inequities”.

WHO highlighted this in its World Report on Social Determinants of Health Equity, unveiled by Tedros Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general.

The report highlights that the country of one’s birth can determine whether a person lives more than three decades longer than someone born in a poorer nation, where safe housing, quality education, and decent employment are often lacking.

According to the findings, people living in the country with the highest life expectancy can expect to live, on average, 33 years longer than those in the country with the lowest.

The report also noted that inadequate access to fundamental resources such as secure housing, educational opportunities, and employment could reduce life expectancy not only in low-income countries but also in wealthier ones.

“Our world is an unequal one. Where we are born, grow, live, work, and age significantly influence our health and well-being,” said Ghebreyesus.

The report drew a direct correlation between health inequalities and levels of social disadvantage and discrimination.

“Health follows a social gradient whereby the more deprived the area in which people live, the lower their incomes are,” the health Agency noted.

It further stated that inequities are particularly severe among populations experiencing discrimination and marginalisation, such as Indigenous Peoples, who typically have lower life expectancies than non-Indigenous groups. This trend, it added, is observable in both high- and low-income countries.

This is the first report of its kind since the 2008 release of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health’s final report. The new study sets out targets for 2040 to reduce disparities in life expectancy, as well as in childhood and maternal mortality, both between and within countries.

However, the WHO cautioned that these goals are unlikely to be met. Despite a lack of comprehensive data, it said there is ample evidence suggesting that health inequities are in many cases widening.

“For example, children born in poorer countries are 13 times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than in wealthier countries,” the report stated.

“Moreover, modelling shows that the lives of nearly two million children annually could be saved by closing the gap and enhancing equity between the poorest and wealthiest sectors of the population within low-and-middle-income countries”, it added.

The report also pointed out that although maternal mortality fell by 40% between 2000 and 2023, 94% of these deaths still occur in low and lower-middle-income countries.

The WHO has called for urgent collective action to tackle economic inequality, invest in robust social infrastructure, and provide universal access to public services. It also recommended addressing structural discrimination and confronting the root causes and consequences of conflict, emergencies, and forced migration.