World Health Organization publishes its first global assessment of within-country inequalities in noncommunicable diseases

20 October 2026

The World Health Organization published a report titled State of inequality: noncommunicable diseases and their risk factors.
The report runs to 185 pages and carries the number 9789240125018.
It is described as the first comprehensive global assessment of within-country inequalities in noncommunicable diseases.
It analyses 35 indicators drawn from nine multicountry data sources, disaggregated by up to eight dimensions of inequality, and covers four noncommunicable diseases and five risk factors.
It reports substantial inequalities in disease prevalence, in exposure to risk factors and in access to prevention and treatment services, with disadvantaged populations frequently experiencing poorer outcomes.
Its examples include lower cancer screening coverage, differences in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, and greater exposure to household air pollution.
It also identifies significant gaps in comparable, disaggregated data.