Alcohol use accounts for 13.3 million deaths worldwide. A projected shortage of 5.9 million health workers adds pressure to systems already stretched by uneven coverage. Data on deaths, spending, and access reveal where resources fall short of needs.
Key Takeaways
- 13.3 million deaths globally in 2021 attributable to alcohol use, per WHO
- 1.3 million tuberculosis deaths in 2023, according to WHO’s TB fact sheet
- 1.7 million deaths from diarrhoeal diseases in 2019, according to WHO
- US$31.1 billion global health expenditure per person in 2021 (current US$), according to WHO
- US$52.0 billion total development assistance for health in 2022, per IHME/GBD and OECD (OECD health aid)
- US$1.6 billion in global health humanitarian aid for nutrition in 2022, per UNICEF annual report dataset
- US$89 billion global development assistance for health in 2022, per OECD-DAC
- US$3.4 billion global mHealth market size in 2022, per Fortune Business Insights
- US$33.2 billion global telehealth market size in 2023, per Global Market Insights
- 73% of the world’s population had at least basic hygiene services in 2022, per WHO/UNICEF JMP
- 86% of children worldwide received at least one dose of DTP in 2022, per WHO/UNICEF estimates
- US$1.3 trillion global economic losses from antimicrobial resistance (AMR) each year by 2050, per OECD
- 5.9 million health workers were short globally in 2030 (projected shortage), per WHO Global Strategy
- In 2022, global spending on health by government schemes covered about 55% of current health expenditure, per WHO
From alcohol and air pollution to AMR, preventable deaths and rising costs demand stronger primary care and cancer plans.
Related reading
01 · Category
Epidemiology5 stats
01
13.3 million deaths globally in 2021 attributable to alcohol use, per WHO
02
1.3 million tuberculosis deaths in 2023, according to WHO’s TB fact sheet
03
1.7 million deaths from diarrhoeal diseases in 2019, according to WHO
04
1.6 million deaths from pneumonia in 2019, per WHO
05
2.8 million deaths in 2019 were attributable to air pollution, per WHO
Interpretation
Epidemiology Interpretation
Across major epidemiological causes, WHO data show a heavy burden of preventable conditions, with 2.8 million deaths from air pollution and millions more from infections such as pneumonia (1.6 million in 2019) and diarrhoeal disease (1.7 million in 2019), alongside 1.3 million tuberculosis deaths in 2023 and 13.3 million deaths in 2021 attributable to alcohol use.
02 · Category
Funding & Spending3 stats
01
US$31.1 billion global health expenditure per person in 2021 (current US$), according to WHO
02
US$52.0 billion total development assistance for health in 2022, per IHME/GBD and OECD (OECD health aid)
03
US$1.6 billion in global health humanitarian aid for nutrition in 2022, per UNICEF annual report dataset
Interpretation
Funding & Spending Interpretation
In the Funding and Spending picture, global health is absorbing about US$31.1 per person in 2021, yet development assistance for health remains far higher at US$52.0 billion in 2022 while nutrition-focused humanitarian aid is much smaller at US$1.6 billion, suggesting uneven financial emphasis within health priorities.
03 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
US$89 billion global development assistance for health in 2022, per OECD-DAC
02
US$3.4 billion global mHealth market size in 2022, per Fortune Business Insights
03
US$33.2 billion global telehealth market size in 2023, per Global Market Insights
04
US$47.5 billion global medical devices market in 2023, per IMARC Group
05
US$28.1 billion global regenerative medicine market size in 2023, per Fortune Business Insights
06
US$21.7 billion global biosimilars market size in 2023, per Evaluate Pharma
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size picture for global health is expanding across multiple segments, with health development assistance reaching US$89 billion in 2022 and major commercial markets like telehealth at US$33.2 billion in 2023 and medical devices at US$47.5 billion in 2023 signaling growing investment and demand.
More related reading
04 · Category
Program Coverage2 stats
01
73% of the world’s population had at least basic hygiene services in 2022, per WHO/UNICEF JMP
02
86% of children worldwide received at least one dose of DTP in 2022, per WHO/UNICEF estimates
Interpretation
Program Coverage Interpretation
Under Program Coverage, progress is clear but uneven, since 73% of the world’s population had at least basic hygiene services in 2022 while 86% of children received at least one DTP dose that year.
05 · Category
Health Systems6 stats
01
US$1.3 trillion global economic losses from antimicrobial resistance (AMR) each year by 2050, per OECD
02
5.9 million health workers were short globally in 2030 (projected shortage), per WHO Global Strategy
03
In 2022, global spending on health by government schemes covered about 55% of current health expenditure, per WHO
04
At least 15% of the world’s population spend out-of-pocket more than 10% of household expenditure on health, per WHO
05
US$1of health spending invested in primary health care yields US$3 return on investment, per The Lancet Global Health (implementation review)
06
62% of countries had functional national cancer control plans in 2022, per WHO Global Cancer Observatory
Interpretation
Health Systems Interpretation
Health systems face major pressure as by 2050 antimicrobial resistance could drive US$1.3 trillion in annual economic losses and a projected global shortage of 5.9 million health workers by 2030 will compound funding and coverage gaps like 15% of people paying more than 10% of household spending out of pocket.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Global Health Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-health-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Global Health Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/global-health-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Global Health Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-health-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)