We’re investing in research to build a clearer picture of what’s holding people back from inclusive, better everyday health, and to inform actions we and others can take to help remove these barriers.

Health Inclusivity

In 2022, we supported Economist Impact’s publication of the Health Inclusivity Index. The Index is the world’s first global benchmark assessing government efforts to ensure good health is accessible to all.

In 2022, phase one examined the national health policy and infrastructure of 40 countries to assess the inclusiveness of their healthcare systems, focusing on three policy areas: Health in Society, Inclusive Health Systems and People and Community Empowerment.

Phase two of the Index, published in November 2023, evolved the research methodology and includes insight from over 42,000 individuals to understand more about their barriers and experiences while obtaining healthcare, before comparing these to the policy assessment set out in phase one.

Key insights from phase two:

  • Health inclusivity scores fall worldwide with the addition of lived experience data, exposing glaring policy-practice gap in wealthy countries.
  • 66% of survey respondents experience barriers to health inclusion, with Gen Z and Millennials worst affected.
  • Almost a quarter of Gen Z (21%) and Millennials (22%) report they’ve been completely denied access to healthcare, compared with just 8% of Baby Boomers.
  • One in five people worldwide (20%) lack access to mental health services in their community, while 17% lack access to sexual health services.

Visit Economist Impact’s Health Inclusivity Hub to gain access to the full suite of data and discover more about the current state of health inclusivity across the globe

How do we use data and insights?

We are using the deep wealth of insights gleaned from the Index to advocate for greater inclusivity across the globe.

The Index gives us a deep understanding of how and why people across the world experience health exclusion and helps inform the partnerships we forge with our health professionals, academics and NGOs, technology companies, retailers and regulators so that together, we can drive inclusivity forward and truly deliver better everyday health with humanity.

Health Inclusivity Exemplars

We have partnered with UCL academics: Dr. Anna-Maria Volkmann, Senior Research Fellow, UCL and Elisa Duriavig and Emma Boxley, UCL Department of Anthropology to identify best-in-class examples of health inclusivity projects globally. Created with the aim to inspire action by and with policymakers, the Exemplars demonstrate the key elements for building effective programmes that promote inclusive health practices for the benefit of all.

  1. UPMC Health Plan Center for Social Impact: Providing Housing Stability and Fostering Community Support to Improve Clinical and Cost Outcomes in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
  2. King’s Lynn: Reducing Obesity in Pregnant Women and New Mothers with a Community-Driven and Place-Based Approach
  3. Mimi in Bavaria, Germany: Training and Supporting People with a History of Migration to Become Health Mediators and Advocates in their Communities

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