The information on this site is subject to a disclaimer and a copyright notice . Development Table of Contents Investment in improved health outcomes for the poorest pays for society a whole.
Economic growth can enhance health status because it increases living standards in general.
However, economic growth does not intrinsically mean greater equity as the living standards of the excluded and the poorest do not necessarily improve. The spread of the benefits of economic growth amongst socio-economic groups plays an important role in translating economic growth into health benefits. However, not all countries perform the same. Countries such as Sri Lanka and Vietnam perform much better than would be expected for countries in their income group. While Mauritius, Nigeria and Zambia perform less well than anticipated.