[afro-nets] Ten facts about social determinants of health and inequities

[Claudio Schuftan <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

Ten facts about social determinants of health and inequities
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1. Less than 2% of governments globally have a coherent struc-
tured approach to address the social determinants of health.

2. Annually, the health system is the cause of about 1% of fami-
lies globally experiencing catastrophic expenditures (and up to
5% in some countries).

3. Life expectancy at birth ranges from 34 in Sierra Leone to 82
in Japan.

4. The probability of a man dying between ages 15 and 60 is 8%
in Sweden, 46% in Russia, and 90% in Lesotho.

5. In Australia, there is a 20-year gap in life expectancy be-
tween Australian Aboriginals and the Australian average.

6. Low and middle-income countries account for 85% of the
world's road deaths.

7. Nearly 11 million deaths in 2002 were among children under
five and 98% of them were in developing countries.

8. About one out of six people in the world, or about 15%, live
in wealthy countries. But only 7% of all deaths annually occur
in those countries.

9. Income inequality is increasing in countries that account for
more than 80% of the world's population.

10. In 1996, 358 billionaires had a net worth of U$ 760 billion
which equaled the wealth of the poorest 45% of the entire
world's population.

[Sources: WHO and Canadian Institute for Advanced Research]

--
Claudio Schuftan
mailto:claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn