The UN health agency say the mixed picture of progress and pressure 2025 underlines both what is possible through evidence-based collaboration and what is at risk if momentum and funding are not maintained.
Victories for disease control
Several countries achieved historic milestones in eradicating infectious diseases.
The Maldives became the first country to achieve this goal “triple elimination” of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis Bwhile Brazil eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV, making it the most populous country in the Americas to achieve that goal.
Progress was also made in the field of neglected tropical diseases. Burundi, Egypt and Fiji have eliminated trachoma; Guinea and Kenya have eliminated sleeping sickness; and Niger became the first African country to eliminate river blindness. Since 2010, the number of people needing treatment for a neglected tropical disease has fallen by almost a third.
The number of deaths from tuberculosis (TB) continued to declineespecially in Africa and Europe, where a decline of more than 45 percent has been recorded over the past decade. Yet the disease claimed an estimated 1.2 million lives by 2024, underscoring the persistent risks associated with HIV, malnutrition and other factors.
Malaria control also made progress. Georgia, Suriname and East Timor were declared malaria-free, while seven additional African countries introduced malaria vaccines by 2025. Combined with newer tools, including improved mosquito nets, these efforts helped prevent an estimated 170 million cases and one million deaths by 2024.
© UNICEF/Rabik Upadhyay
A doctor examines a newborn baby at a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Global healthcare cooperation
In addition to disease-specific gains, 2025 also marked significant progress in global health cooperation.
Countries adopted the the world’s first pandemic agreement and strengthened the International Health Regulations (IHR), laying the foundation for faster, fairer responses to future health emergencies.
World leaders endorsed one historic political declaration on non-communicable diseases and mental health. New evidence-based guidelines have also been released covering areas from maternal care and meningitis to diabetes in pregnancy and child-friendly cancer medicines.
Healthier lives, uneven progress
WHOThis is evident from the World Health Statistics 2025 report 1.4 billion more people live healthier livesdriven by reduced tobacco use, cleaner air and improved water and sanitation.
Vaccination remained central to these gains. Global vaccination efforts have reduced measles deaths by 88 percent since 2000, saving nearly 59 million lives. In 2025, several countries expanded vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV), bringing the world closer to eradicating cervical cancer.
Yet challenges remain. Twenty million children missed essential vaccines as a result of conflicts, supply disruptions and disinformation. Maternal and child mortality are also not falling fast enough to meet global targets, underscoring the need for greater investment in primary health care and safe delivery programs.
© UNICEF/Ahmed Mohamdeen Elfatih
Children and adults suffering from cholera are being treated in an isolation center at a hospital in Khartoum, Sudan.
Funding pressure, crisis response
Cuts in 2025 disrupted services including maternal care, vaccination, HIV prevention and disease surveillance, with WHO warning that reduced funding could reverse hard-won gains.
Despite these pressures, WHO supported rapid responses to health emergencies and crises in 79 countries and territories, including Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, providing emergency medical care and containing outbreaks.
It delivered medicines, helped keep hospitals open, joined vaccination campaigns and ensured people still had access to regular healthcare – “because babies still need to be born, heart attacks still need to be avoided, and diabetes still needs to be treated, even during an emergency.”
Looking ahead
Looking to 2026, WHO points to the adoption of the first pandemic agreement and strengthened international health regulations as signs of renewed global commitment to preparedness.
It emphasizes that it continues to be guided by the principle it established when it was founded in 1948: that the highest attainable standard of health should be a right for all, and not a privilege for a few.
“Together,“WHO emphasized“with science, solutions and solidarity we can build a healthier, safer and more hopeful future for everyone.”
© UNICEF/Bashir Ahmed Sujan
A baby is held by his mother and entertained by his grandfather at a community clinic in northern Bangladesh.
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