Universal Health Coverage Factsheet
What is universal health coverage?
Universal health coverage means all people can access quality health services without
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financial hardship. It includes the full range of essential health services, spanning

health promotion, prevention, and treatment. UHC is included in the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) as target 3.8, with two indicators: 3.8.1 for service
coverage and 3.8.2 for financial protection.
Why do we need universal health coverage?
Health is a right and a necessity – not a privilege or a luxury. When people have their health,they can lift themselves out of poverty, provide for the well-being of their families and thrive in2

their communities. They also are better protected when public health crises occur.

Who doesn’t have health coverage?
According to the World Health Organization, half of people in the world do not receive thehealth services they need. WHO also estimates that 100 million people are pushed into2

extreme poverty each year because of out-of-pocket spending on health.

How did COVID-19 affect access to health care?
COVID-19 made the need for universal health coverage[HD1] [HD2] more urgent. People whose
health is already vulnerable have been affected most by the pandemic. Global health security
means minimizing the danger and impact of acute public health events that endanger people’s
health, especially those that cross geographical regions and international boundaries. The
pandemic illustrated a need for health security and health systems strengthening globally.
When COVID-19 vaccines became available, they were not distributed equitably. In addition,
the pandemic led to severe health service disruptions across all major health areas – including
sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health; immunization; nutrition;
cancer care; mental, neurological and substance use care; HIV, hepatitis, TB, malaria and3neglected tropical diseases; and care for older people.

Is universal health coverage achievable?

To achieve universal health coverage, we need to strengthen health systems through a
primary health care (PHC) approach. Primary health care is a people-centered,integrated approach to delivering health care. Strengthening health systems in thisway is the most efficient and sustainable way to reach our universal health coverageand health security goals.
As The Economist has reported, “The evidence for the feasibility of universal health care goes4

beyond theories. It is supported by several pioneering examples.”Over the past decade, the World Bank has studied and shared lessons from UHC initiatives indiverse countries representing a third of the global population. There are many policy options
5for achieving universal health coverage, no one specific path.

What can accelerate progress toward universal health coverage?
From Dr. Tedros, WHO Director-General, June 2022:“Universal health coverage is a political choice. At the United Nations General Assembly inSeptember 2019, just a few months before the pandemic struck, all countries made that choiceby endorsing the Political Declaration on Universal Health Coverage. The pandemic has only
illustrated why that commitment is so important, and why, as the world responds to andrecovers from the pandemic, we must all pursue it with more determination, innovation and6collaboration.”

The upcoming 2023 High-Level Meeting on UHC provides countries and all
stakeholders an opportunity to reinvigorate progress towards UHC, withaction-oriented outcomes.
Where is my country on the journey to universal health coverage?
UHC2030 operates a data portal for obtaining an overview of the state of UHC commitments
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in every country, and for accessing data on UHC and health systems.

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https://universalhealthcoverageday.org

2

https://www.who.int/health-topics/universal-health-coverage

3

https://www.who.int/news/item/07-02-2022-essential-health-services-face-continued-disruption-during-covid-19-pandemic
4https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/04/26/universal-health-care-worldwide-is-within-reach5

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/publication/universal-health-coverage-study-series

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https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240040618

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https://www.uhc2030.org/what-we-do/sharing-knowledge-and-networks/uhc-data-portal/