While a child born today can expect to live longer than ever before, the stark global landscape of health reveals a story of profound progress shadowed by persistent inequality, a narrative told through numbers that range from Japan's leading life expectancy of 84.5 years to Nigeria's heartbreaking under-5 mortality rate of 104 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the global under-5 mortality rate stood at 37 deaths per 1,000 live births, down from 93 in 1990.
- Life expectancy at birth for females worldwide reached 76.6 years in 2023, compared to 71.3 years for males.
- In the US, life expectancy at birth dropped to 76.4 years in 2021 from 78.8 in 2019 due to COVID-19.
- Worldwide, 2.4 million deaths from TB occurred in 2022.
- Diabetes affects 537 million adults globally in 2021, projected to 783 million by 2045.
- In the US, 38.4 million people (11.6% of population) had diabetes in 2021.
- US healthcare spending reached $4.5 trillion in 2022, 17.3% of GDP.
- Global health expenditure was $9.8 trillion in 2021, 10.3% of global GDP.
- US per capita health spending was $12,914 in 2022.
- In 2023, global nurse density is 10.1 per 1,000 people.
- US has 2.6 physicians per 1,000 population in 2022.
- Global hospital beds average 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2021.
- In the US, 28 million people (8.6%) uninsured in 2023.
- Global 4.5 billion people lack full coverage of essential health services.
- 90% of US adults had a usual source of care in 2022.
Global health outcomes vary widely despite progress, showing clear disparities between wealthy and poorer nations.
Access and Utilization
- In the US, 28 million people (8.6%) uninsured in 2023.
- Global 4.5 billion people lack full coverage of essential health services.
- 90% of US adults had a usual source of care in 2022.
- In India, 55% of population has health insurance coverage in 2023.
- OECD average doctor consultations 6.4 per person annually.
- UK GP appointments total 25 million per month in 2023.
- 1 in 8 people globally face catastrophic health spending.
- US emergency department visits reached 139 million in 2022.
- Germany's hospital admission rate 272 per 1,000 population.
- 47% of low-income Americans skipped care due to cost in 2023.
- Japan universal coverage ensures 100% population access.
- Brazil's SUS covers 75% of population for primary care.
- Global surgical backlog 4.2 billion procedures needed.
- Canada wait times for specialists average 27.7 weeks in 2023.
- France 99% population covered by statutory health insurance.
- US dental care access gap: 65 million adults no dentist visit yearly.
- Australia Medicare covers 90% of GP costs.
- Africa 1 health facility per 10,000 people average.
- Sweden primary care visits 2.9 per capita annually.
- Italy universal coverage with low out-of-pocket 23%.
- Telemedicine visits in US surged to 64 million in 2022.
- Global ambulance coverage reaches only 50% in low-income areas.
- US preventable hospital stays 69 per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.
Access and Utilization Interpretation
The world presents a stark, almost tragicomic tapestry where some nations fret over wait times while billions elsewhere can't even get in line for basic care, revealing a universal truth: our health is only as secure as our most vulnerable neighbor's access to it.
Disease Prevalence
- Worldwide, 2.4 million deaths from TB occurred in 2022.
- Diabetes affects 537 million adults globally in 2021, projected to 783 million by 2045.
- In the US, 38.4 million people (11.6% of population) had diabetes in 2021.
- HIV prevalence among adults 15-49 years is 0.7% globally in 2022.
- Obesity rates among adults worldwide reached 16% in 2022.
- US cancer incidence rate is 442.1 per 100,000 in 2023.
- Malaria caused 249 million cases globally in 2022.
- Depression affects 280 million people worldwide as of 2023.
- In Europe, 59 million people live with chronic hepatitis B or C.
- Alzheimer's disease affects 55 million people globally in 2023.
- COPD prevalence is 212 million cases worldwide in 2019.
- US hypertension prevalence is 47.6% among adults in 2023.
- Global asthma cases number 262 million in 2019.
- Schizophrenia affects 24 million people globally.
- In India, 77 million adults have diabetes in 2021.
- Parkinson's disease cases reached 8.5 million worldwide in 2019.
- UK mental illness prevalence is 1 in 6 adults per year.
- Global hepatitis B prevalence is 257 million chronically infected in 2015.
- Brazil has 2.3 million TB cases cumulatively since 2000.
- Osteoarthritis affects 595 million people globally.
- In China, 140 million people have diabetes in 2021.
- Rheumatoid arthritis prevalence is 0.46% globally.
- Global epilepsy cases are 50 million.
- US stroke prevalence is 7.3% among adults over 18.
- Dengue cases reported 5.2 million globally in 2023.
- Multiple sclerosis affects 2.8 million worldwide.
- Global cancer survivors number 50 million in 2022.
- In Africa, 25 million people live with HIV in 2023.
- Chronic kidney disease affects 700 million globally.
Disease Prevalence Interpretation
While humanity’s medical triumphs allow 50 million cancer survivors to celebrate, our collective health report card reads like a brutally ironic comedy where we’ve swapped ancient plagues for a sprawling buffet of modern, self-inflicted chronic diseases, all while struggling to defeat the ancient ones.
Healthcare Spending
- US healthcare spending reached $4.5 trillion in 2022, 17.3% of GDP.
- Global health expenditure was $9.8 trillion in 2021, 10.3% of global GDP.
- US per capita health spending was $12,914 in 2022.
- OECD countries average health spending at 9.3% of GDP in 2022.
- India's public health expenditure is 2.1% of GDP in 2023.
- Germany spent €428 billion on health in 2022, 12.7% of GDP.
- Global pharmaceutical spending hit $1.5 trillion in 2023.
- UK's NHS budget was £182.6 billion in 2023/24.
- China health expenditure grew 5.7% to 8.49 trillion yuan in 2022.
- US hospital spending accounted for 31% of total health expenditure in 2022.
- Japan health spending is 11.5% of GDP, $5,251 per capita in 2022.
- Brazil public health spending is 4.1% of GDP in 2022.
- France spent 12.1% of GDP on health in 2022, €5,625 per capita.
- Global out-of-pocket health payments average 18% of total spending.
- Canada health expenditure is 12.2% of GDP, CAD 7,551 per capita in 2022.
- US Medicare spending was $944 billion in 2022.
- South Africa health spending is 5.3% of GDP in 2022.
- Netherlands health expenditure 10.2% of GDP in 2022.
- Global vaccine market valued at $61 billion in 2023.
- Australia spent AUD 227 billion on health in 2021-22.
- Sweden health spending 11.3% of GDP in 2022.
- Italy public health spending 7.1% of GDP in 2022.
- US prescription drug spending grew 8.4% to $405 billion in 2022.
- Spain health expenditure 10.1% of GDP in 2022.
Healthcare Spending Interpretation
America’s astronomical health spending looks less like an investment in wellness and more like a symptom of national hypochondria, given we splash nearly twice the global GDP percentage on healthcare while our outcomes often lag behind countries spending far less.
Mortality and Life Expectancy
- In 2023, the global under-5 mortality rate stood at 37 deaths per 1,000 live births, down from 93 in 1990.
- Life expectancy at birth for females worldwide reached 76.6 years in 2023, compared to 71.3 years for males.
- In the US, life expectancy at birth dropped to 76.4 years in 2021 from 78.8 in 2019 due to COVID-19.
- Japan's life expectancy at birth was 84.5 years in 2022, the highest globally.
- Maternal mortality ratio globally was 223 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, life expectancy averages 61.5 years as of 2023.
- US infant mortality rate was 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022.
- Global healthy life expectancy (HALE) was 63.7 years in 2019.
- In India, life expectancy rose to 70.8 years in 2022 from 69.7 in 2019.
- Europe's average life expectancy is 78.8 years in 2023.
- Brazil's under-5 mortality rate fell to 13.5 per 1,000 live births in 2022.
- In 2022, COVID-19 caused 6.9 million excess deaths globally.
- Australia's life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years for males and 86.8 for females in 2021-2023.
- Global neonatal mortality rate is 17 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023.
- UK's life expectancy stalled at 80.7 years in 2021 due to pandemic effects.
- China's life expectancy reached 78.2 years in 2023.
- In low-income countries, life expectancy is 62.8 years on average in 2023.
- Canada's life expectancy is 82.4 years as of 2022.
- Global age-standardized mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases is 167.7 per 100,000 in 2019.
- Germany's life expectancy at birth was 81.3 years in 2022.
- In 2023, South Africa's life expectancy recovered to 64.1 years post-HIV interventions.
- France reports 82.5 years life expectancy in 2023.
- Global suicide mortality rate is 9.0 per 100,000 population in 2019.
- Italy's life expectancy is 83.7 years, highest in Europe, 2023.
- Nigeria's under-5 mortality is 104 per 1,000 live births in 2022.
- Spain's life expectancy at 83.2 years in 2022.
- In 2021, opioid overdose deaths in US reached 80,411.
- Sweden's life expectancy is 82.8 years in 2023.
- Pakistan's maternal mortality ratio is 140 per 100,000 live births in 2020.
- Singapore's life expectancy leads at 83.9 years in 2023.
Mortality and Life Expectancy Interpretation
We have made undeniable strides in keeping children alive and extending our time on Earth, but the persistent, glaring gaps in who gets to live a long and healthy life reveal a world where your postal code is still a more powerful health predictor than your genetic code.
Outcomes and Quality Metrics
- In 2022, US hospitals achieved 93% patient safety culture score.
- Global DTP3 vaccine coverage 84% in 2023.
- US 5-year cancer survival rate 68.7% in 2023.
- Maternal mortality in high-income countries averages 10 per 100,000.
- OECD average amenable mortality rate 78 per 100,000 in 2022.
- UK's NHS patient satisfaction 84% in 2023.
- Avoidable deaths in EU fell 32% from 2000-2021.
- US HAIs affect 1 in 31 hospital patients.
- Japan post-surgical mortality 0.7% within 30 days.
- Global TB treatment success rate 86% for new cases in 2022.
- Germany's AMI 30-day mortality 5.2% in-hospital.
- HIV treatment suppresses virus in 94% of diagnosed in Europe.
- US childhood vaccination rate 93% for MMR in 2022-23.
- Breast cancer 5-year survival 90.2% in Australia.
- Canada's hip fracture surgery within 48h: 75%.
- France stroke care thrombolysis rate 15%.
- Global cataract surgery backlog 12.7 million.
- US CABG 30-day mortality 3.1%.
- Sweden depression remission rate 60% after treatment.
- Italy cervical cancer screening coverage 73%.
- 92% of US hospitals use EHRs meaningfully in 2023.
Outcomes and Quality Metrics Interpretation
While we can celebrate high patient satisfaction and survival rates in many areas, the persistent shadows of vaccine gaps, surgical backlogs, and preventable hospital infections remind us that a truly healthy system must not only perform well but also protect equitably and consistently.
Workforce and Resources
- In 2023, global nurse density is 10.1 per 1,000 people.
- US has 2.6 physicians per 1,000 population in 2022.
- Global hospital beds average 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2021.
- India physician density is 0.7 per 1,000 in 2022.
- OECD average nurses per 1,000 is 9.8 in 2022.
- Japan has 2.5 hospital beds per 1,000 population.
- US nurse practitioners number 355,000 in 2023.
- Global medical graduates total 150,000 annually from WHO schools.
- Germany has 4.5 physicians per 1,000 in 2022.
- Africa nurse density is 1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023.
- UK has 2.8 doctors per 1,000 population in 2023.
- China hospital beds reached 7.4 million in 2022.
- Brazil physicians per 1,000 is 2.2 in 2022.
- Global MRI scanners density is 15.1 per million population.
- Canada has 2.8 physicians per 1,000 in 2022.
- France nurse density 10.2 per 1,000 in 2022.
- US CT scanners 40 per million population in 2022.
- Australia physician workforce totals 116,000 in 2023.
- Low-income countries have 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people.
- Sweden has 4.4 physicians per 1,000 in 2022.
- Global radiotherapy machines 4,636 in low-income countries.
- Italy hospital beds 3.2 per 1,000 in 2022.
- South Korea nurses 8.4 per 1,000 population.
- Russia physician density 4.7 per 1,000 in 2022.
Workforce and Resources Interpretation
The global healthcare landscape is a disquieting tapestry of feast and famine, where nations like Germany have physicians falling from the sky while entire continents, like Africa with its threadbare one nurse per thousand, are left desperately stitching together care from scraps.
Sources & References
- Reference 1WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 2DATAdata.worldbank.orgVisit source
- Reference 3CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 4OECDoecd.orgVisit source
- Reference 5OURWORLDINDATAourworldindata.orgVisit source
- Reference 6ECec.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 7DATAdata.unicef.orgVisit source
- Reference 8AIHWaihw.gov.auVisit source
- Reference 9ONSons.gov.ukVisit source
- Reference 10STATCANstatcan.gc.caVisit source
- Reference 11DESTATISdestatis.deVisit source
- Reference 12INSEEinsee.frVisit source
- Reference 13INEine.esVisit source
- Reference 14SCBscb.seVisit source
- Reference 15DATAdata.who.intVisit source
- Reference 16SINGSTATsingstat.gov.sgVisit source
- Reference 17DIABETESATLASdiabetesatlas.orgVisit source
- Reference 18UNAIDSunaids.orgVisit source
- Reference 19SEERseer.cancer.govVisit source
- Reference 20ALZINTalzint.orgVisit source
- Reference 21MILLIONHEARTSmillionhearts.hhs.govVisit source
- Reference 22PARKINSONparkinson.orgVisit source
- Reference 23MENTALHEALTHmentalhealth.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 24OARSIoarsi.orgVisit source
- Reference 25THELANCETthelancet.comVisit source
- Reference 26MSIFmsif.orgVisit source
- Reference 27PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 28CMScms.govVisit source
- Reference 29HEALTHSYSTEMTRACKERhealthsystemtracker.orgVisit source
- Reference 30IQVIAiqvia.comVisit source
- Reference 31KINGSFUNDkingsfund.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 32STATSstats.gov.cnVisit source
- Reference 33APPSapps.who.intVisit source
- Reference 34CIHIcihi.caVisit source
- Reference 35INTELLIZENCEintellizence.comVisit source
- Reference 36AANPaanp.orgVisit source
- Reference 37BMAbma.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 38DATAdata.oecd.orgVisit source
- Reference 39IAEAiaea.orgVisit source
- Reference 40CENSUScensus.govVisit source
- Reference 41IBEFibef.orgVisit source
- Reference 42ENGLANDengland.nhs.ukVisit source
- Reference 43KFFkff.orgVisit source
- Reference 44COMMONWEALTHFUNDcommonwealthfund.orgVisit source
- Reference 45LANCETlancet.comVisit source
- Reference 46FRASERINSTITUTEfraserinstitute.orgVisit source
- Reference 47ADAada.orgVisit source
- Reference 48AFROafro.who.intVisit source
- Reference 49MCKINSEYmckinsey.comVisit source
- Reference 50DATACENTERdatacenter.healthindicators.orgVisit source
- Reference 51AHRQahrq.govVisit source
- Reference 52HEALTHhealth.ec.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 53IAPBiapb.orgVisit source
- Reference 54HEALTHhealth.usnews.comVisit source
- Reference 55HEALTHIThealthit.govVisit source