Health

The World Bank Group is committed to helping developing countries achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through stronger, more resilient health systems and providing quality, affordable health services to everyone – especially the most vulnerable. By prioritizing health, countries build the foundation for the human capital that drives job creation, shared prosperity and improved societal well-being.

The World Bank Group’s ambitious plan to support countries to deliver quality, affordable health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030 aims to address the significant inequities that leave half of the global population without essential health services and 2 billion people facing severe financial hardship due to healthcare costs.

Shrinking fiscal space, emerging disease challenges and threats, climate change and fragility, along with non-communicable diseases and aging populations significantly impact access to quality, affordable health services for all.

Our $27 billion global health portfolio includes 160 projects that are helping countries improve health outcomes by implementing sustainable financing reforms, redesigning primary care, creating predictable regulatory environments for private sector engagement, and strengthening the health workforce through digital innovations and mid-level provider training.

The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF), a multi-stakeholder partnership hosted at the World Bank Group has been supporting countries with the world’s highest maternal and child mortality burden and financial needs. Since the GFF was founded in 2015, partner countries have made significant progress to improve maternal and child health.

The Health Works initiative––a focused effort to become faster, work better with partners, and bring in the private sector––is at the heart of our strategy to pursue greater scale and impact and to reach 1.5 billion people with quality health services by 2030. The strategy is anchored in close collaboration with countries and drives financing centered on key evidence-based solutions:

Strengthen primary care platforms to expand quality services to non-communicable diseases, nutrition, and aging-related services, reaching more people.

Implement financing reforms to increase domestic resource mobilization for health and improve the management and execution of public resources, enhance efficiency of spending through better prioritization and reduction of out of pocket costs for primary care.

Optimize and expand the health workforce through policy and regulatory reforms.

Increase private sector investments in health care through regulatory harmonization and private capital investments from IFC (transfer and capital mobilization and de-risking of investments).

This work will also strengthen human capital and increase people’s productivity, leading to economic growth. At the same time, it will create millions of jobs now for doctors, nurses, caregivers, paramedics, and indirect opportunities in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, digital health, and support services.

Private companies, public institutions, and governments all play a vital role in improving health outcomes and driving economic growth. This includes training healthcare professionals, building essential infrastructure, and technologies to scale primary health services. Through strategic health investments, we can build stronger, more resilient societies.

The World Bank Group is working closely with donors, development partners, governments, and the private sector on several key focus areas including, ending preventable maternal and child mortality; reducing stunting and improving nutrition for infants and children; strengthening health systems, creating health sector jobs, enhancing public health infrastructure; and ensuring pandemic preparedness and response.

Health, Economic Growth and Jobs

Investing in a skilled, healthy workforce, infrastructure, and technology are crucial for economic growth, job creation, and security. By prioritizing health, countries build the foundation for the human capital that drives job creation, shared prosperity and improved societal well-being.

Strengthening Health Systems and Preventing Health Emergencies

Health emergencies pose a serious threat to global health security and economic security. Strong health systems help countries to better detect and respond to diseases and prevent an outbreak from becoming a pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic inflicted devastating health and economic costs, but also created a once-in-a-generation chance to build more resilient health systems and transform health systems.

Drug-resistant infections are a significant contributor to mortality, income loss, and loss of human capital. Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)can be highly cost-effective, offering a rate of return on investment of 88% per year. World Bank Group investments are aimed at strengthening and developing agricultural, health and water and sanitations systems, which are critical to preventing the emergency and spread of resistance.

The Pandemic Fund, provides long-term financing and technical support to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response (PPR) capabilities in low- and middle-income countries. This multilateral financing mechanism complements other partnerships like, the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR) Umbrella Program and Health System Transformation & Resilience Fund (HSTRF)

Nutrition

Nutrition interventions could save the lives of 6.2 million children under age five and prevent 980,000 stillbirths over the next decade. Such programs would also avert 27 million cases of child stunting and 144 million cases of maternal anemia. Both undernutrition and obesity are obstacles to human capital, economic productivity, and an equitable, prosperous world. Every dollar invested in combating malnutrition yields a $23 return through improved productivity and health outcomes.

Healthy Longevity

Compounding these challenges is the rapid aging of populations worldwide, fueling a surge of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and health care costs. Investing in healthy longevity could save 150 million lives in low- and middle- income countries and extend millions more by 2050, generating significant economic benefit.

Health Financing

Health spending remains far below the minimum benchmark needed to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and has stagnated since 2018. Low- and lower-middle-income countries are at a crossroads with growing economic uncertainty and a changing aid landscape. Health Financing: Aligning remaining development assistance with domestic priorities, improving budget execution, and raising taxes on unhealthy products can help resources go further.

Climate Change and Health

A recent World Bank study estimates that climate change may push an additional 132 million people (more than half of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia), into extreme poverty by 2030, with 44 million of these driven by health impacts.

Investing in resilient, equitable primary health systems

The World Bank supports countries to redesign their primary care systems so that people can access essential services close to home. By modernizing facilities, expanding health worker training, integrating digital tools and strengthening supply chains, countries improve service quality and reduce financial hardship. Investments in primary health care also create jobs and lay the foundation for universal health coverage.

Health systems that benefit women, children, and adolescents

Investing in equitable access to health systems is is one of the most impactful actions a country can make. The World Bank is working closely with donors, development partners, governments, and the private sector on several key focus areas including, ending preventable maternal and child mortality; and reducing stunting and improving nutrition for infants and children.

Expanding coverage boosts health outcomes and economic resilience

Health Contact

Elizabeth Price

eprice@worldbankgroup.org