Global Health Progress Stalls: Billions Still Lack Essential Care and Face Financial Ruin, WHO-World Bank Report Warns

A new joint report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank Group on December 6, 2025, reveals a mixed picture for universal health coverage (UHC) globally. While most countries have expanded health service access and reduced financial hardship since 2000, billions still remain without essential care, according to the UHC Global Monitoring Report 2025.

healthpolicy-watch.news reported, The report, launched at the Tokyo Universal Health Coverage High-Level Forum, highlights that an estimated 4.6 billion people worldwide continue to lack access to vital health services. Furthermore, 2.1 billion individuals face significant financial hardship when trying to access healthcare, as detailed by the WHO and World Bank.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized that for these billions, the fundamental right to health remains out of reach. He urged countries to invest in their health systems to protect both their populations and economies, especially amidst severe cuts to international aid, as reported by the WHO.

who.int noted, Despite some progress, the report cautions that the poorest populations disproportionately bear the brunt of unaffordable health costs, with 1.6 billion people pushed into or deeper into poverty. This stark inequality underscores a critical challenge in achieving equitable health outcomes by the 2030 target, according to the joint findings.

Monique Vledder, head of the World Bank's Global Health, Nutrition and Population Department, noted that a fundamental cause of stalled progress in UHC is the stagnation in public health outlays by national governments. She highlighted that public health spending in the lowest-income countries is significantly below the required amount for basic services, as reported by Health Policy Watch.

worldbank.org reported, The UHC Global Monitoring Report 2025 projects that at the current pace, the world will fall considerably short of its universal health coverage ambitions by 2030. This trajectory suggests that nearly one in four people globally will still face financial hardship due to healthcare costs at the end of the Sustainable Development Goals era.

In response to these findings, the World Bank Group announced its commitment to help deliver affordable, quality health services to an additional 1.5 billion people by 2030. This initiative builds on momentum where 375 million people have already gained access through country-led reforms, as stated by the World Bank.

• healthpolicy-watch.news noted, Historical Context and Slowed Progress: Since 2000, there has been concurrent progress in expanding health service coverage and reducing financial hardship, with the Service Coverage Index (SCI) rising from 54 to 71 points by 2023. However, this progress has significantly slowed since 2015, with the annualized rate dropping to one-third of pre-2015 gains, largely due to setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic, as detailed in the UHC Global Monitoring Report 2025.

• Persistent Inequalities and Financial Burden: The report highlights severe and persistent inequalities, noting that in 2022, three out of four people among the poorest segments of the population experienced financial hardship from health costs, compared to fewer than one in 25 among the richest. Women, individuals in rural areas, and those with less education also face greater difficulty accessing essential health services, according to the WHO and World Bank.

• who.int reported, Drivers of Financial Hardship: A significant contributor to financial hardship is the high cost of medicines, which accounts for at least 55% of out-of-pocket health expenses in three-quarters of countries with available data. For people living in poverty, this burden is even greater, with a median of 60% of their out-of-pocket expenses allocated to medicines, diverting scarce resources from other essential needs, as reported by the WHO.

• The 2030 Sustainable Development Goal: Universal Health Coverage is enshrined as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 3.8, aiming to ensure access to quality essential health-care services and financial risk protection for all by 2030. The current trajectory, however, indicates that the world will not meet this ambitious goal, with projections showing continued gaps in service coverage and financial protection, according to the United Nations.

• worldbank.org noted, Strategic Actions and Investments: To accelerate progress, the UHC Global Monitoring Report 2025 calls for urgent action in six core areas, including ensuring essential healthcare is free for the poor, expanding public investments, and addressing high out-of-pocket spending on medicines. The World Bank Group is actively supporting countries, with 15 nations introducing National Health Compacts to expand primary care and improve affordability.

• New Initiatives and Knowledge Sharing: In a move to strengthen global efforts, the Universal Health Coverage Knowledge Hub was officially launched in Tokyo by WHO and the World Bank Group, with support from the Government of Japan. This hub aims to provide capacity-strengthening programs for Ministries of Health and Finance to support health financing reforms, as noted by the World Bank.

• healthpolicy-watch.news reported, Financial Gaps in Low-Income Countries: Government health spending in low-income countries remains critically low, at approximately $17 per capita, far below the estimated $60 needed to provide a basic package of essential health services. This significant funding gap, coupled with projected declines in combined government and donor health spending in many low- and lower-middle-income countries by 2030, poses a major barrier to achieving UHC, according to a World Bank analysis.