Inequality will deepen global health divide

Subject

Health and income inequality correlation.

Significance

Income and wealth inequality are rising. This has a profound impact on population health, as it is proven to cause lower life expectancy, higher child mortality rates, higher rates of non-communicable diseases and increased deaths from violence. The relationship between income inequality and poor health is persistent across both developing and developed countries, despite policy initiatives to tackle socio-economic differentiation.

Impacts

• National economies could face lower potential growth due to the loss of labour force from unhealthy portions of the population.
• Disadvantaged groups will be excluded from high-quality health services, leading to higher levels of mortality and lower life expectancy.
• Social services are overburdened by patients in advanced stages of disease due to inadequate prevention among disadvantaged groups.