Goal 3 of 17 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
The COVID-19 pandemic made global health a household subject: it showed how quickly a health emergency can undo years of progress and how unevenly countries can respond. The recovery has brought lessons about the value of preparedness, strong primary health care and universal health coverage — more than half of the world's population now has at least one social protection benefit (52.4 per cent in 2023).
Long-run progress is real. Life expectancy has risen and child and maternal mortality have fallen sharply since 2000, and new HIV infections dropped by about 30 per cent between 2015 and 2024. Yet maternal mortality is still nearly three times the global target, and gains are uneven within and between countries.
The unfinished agenda is broad: non-communicable diseases, mental health, antimicrobial resistance, and the shortages of health workers that limit access in low-income regions. Out-of-pocket spending still pushes millions of families into poverty every year.
Goal 3 calls for well-funded health systems, universal health coverage, safe and affordable medicines and vaccines, and much stronger early-warning and preparedness capacity for the epidemics of the future.