Health equity and its determinants in the Western Pacific Region

Overview

People living in the Western Pacific Region have a wide range of health experiences that tend to be patterned according to demographic, social, economic and geographic characteristics. This report takes stock of trends in health equity in the Western Pacific Region based on available evidence and data. It covers a range of intersectoral health-relevant indicators to examine the existence and magnitude of inequities in health and its determinants. In some countries, there are positive examples of national improvements in health intervention coverage and health outcomes being coupled with a narrowing of inequities over time, driven by faster improvements among disadvantaged subgroups. However, inequities persist in most countries and across most dimensions of health. The report details encouraging messages about the state of health equity, along with challenges to progress.