Health · Public Health & Disease · 7 hrs ago
Income gaps linked to unequal access to universal health coverage
A study of countries worldwide found that higher human development was linked to better health coverage.
Researchers compared health coverage and human development data across seven years between 2000 and 2021.
Low-income countries scored 21% lower overall on universal health coverage than high-income countries.
The biggest income gap was in infectious disease services, where low-income countries scored 31% lower.
Income-group differences were generally larger than differences between World Health Organization regions.
The study measured countries rather than individuals, so it could not show inequalities in coverage within each country.
The findings may help policymakers interpret coverage scores alongside broader development, although changes to the index limit comparisons across some editions.
Low-income countries had 21% lower overall universal health coverage than high-income countries, according to a new study.
The gap was largest for infectious disease coverage, at 31%, and income-group disparities were generally larger than differences between world regions.
Researchers also found that a 0.1-unit increase in the Human Development Index was associated with a 6.8-point higher overall UHC score.
The study analyzed country-level data from 2000 to 2021 and was published in PLOS Global Public Health.
The researchers said the findings could help policymakers interpret health coverage in the context of broader development.
- Who
- Researchers Akira Hayasaka, Yasuhiro Nakanishi and colleagues.
- What
- A study found that income gaps are linked to disparities in universal health coverage, with lower coverage in low-income countries.
- When
- The study was published on October 28, 2026. It analyzed data from 2000 to 2021.
- Where
- Countries worldwide, compared across World Bank income groups and WHO regions.
- Why
- The researchers examined how universal health coverage relates to human development across income groups, regions and coverage domains.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Researchers analyzed country-level data from seven years within this period.
News-Medical reported on the study published in PLOS Global Public Health.
- Overall coverage gap
- Low-income countries had 21% lower UHC coverage than high-income countries
- Infectious disease gap
- 31% lower coverage in low-income countries
- HDI association
- A 0.1-unit increase was associated with a 6.8-point higher overall UHC score
- Data period
- 2000–2021
- Journal
- PLOS Global Public Health
What people are saying
These findings may help policymakers interpret the UHC SCI and its sub-indices in the context of their country's broader development trajectory
Higher levels of human development were associated with better health service coverage, although the strength of this relationship differed across domains.