World Health Statistics 2025
- The Earth & I Editorial Team
- Jun 18
- 2 min read
Shows Progress Toward ‘Triple Billion’ Target and Health-Related Mortality Rates
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been publishing annual reports on world health statistics since 2005, with a focus on health-related sustainable development goals (SDGs) since 2016. WHO’s 2025 report focuses on global healthy life expectancy (HALE), prevalence of infectious diseases, and health risk factors (such as malnutrition, tobacco use, and air pollution). Below are some key findings from the report. Data in tabulated form is also available.
Global HALE increased from 58.1 years in 2000 to 63.5 years in 2019, but then dropped to about 61.96 in 2021. This decrease in life expectancy was primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Globally, babies born in 2000 had about a 40.4% chance of dying before reaching 70 years old. By 2019, this mortality risk fell to 29.9% for babies born that year.
Overall, Africa had the highest mortality risk, with babies born in 2019 having a 46.3% chance of dying before age 70. The Western Pacific region had the lowest mortality risk, at 21.5%.
SDG Target 3.1 is to “reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.” According to the report, this ratio has declined from about 328 per 100,000 live births (or 444,000 maternal deaths) in 2000 to 197 per 100,000 live births (or 260,000 maternal deaths) in 2023.
SDG Target 3.9 is to “reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.” The WHO report said 1.4 million deaths were attributed to lack of access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services in 2019, or 18.3 deaths per 100,000 people overall. Africa had the highest rate at 46.7 per 100,000.
There was an estimated 6.7 million deaths globally attributed to air pollution (particulate matter) in 2019, or about 104 deaths per 100,000 people.
In 2018, WHO started the Triple Billion target of reaching 1 billion people in three categories: “healthier populations,” universal health coverage, and health emergencies protection.
The “healthier populations” goal was met in 2022 and reached about 1.4 billion in 2024. This is projected to increase to 1.5 billion in 2025.
Universal health coverage stood at 431 million in 2024 and is projected to reach 500 million—the halfway point—by 2025.
Health emergencies protection reached 637 million in 2024, with an expected increase to 697 million by 2025.
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