The world has fallen behind on health goals
Progress on the big health targets outlined in the United Nations’ 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been too slow—and in some cases is backsliding—according to the World Health Organization’s 2026 report on global health statistics. Goodarz Danaei, Bernard Lown Professor of Cardiovascular Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, commented in a May 15 MIT Technology Review article on how the SDGs’ plans to improve health by 2030 are faring.
“The good news is that there is progress,” he said. “But as always, the glass is half empty.”
For example, SDG Target 3.3 aimed to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria by 2030—meaning that transmission, illness, and death would be reduced to such low levels that they would no longer be considered public health crises. While the article noted that there has been a 40% decrease in new HIV cases since 2010, there are still too many—1.3 million in 2024—to make achieving the target likely. Goals to reduce tuberculosis and malaria incidence have fared even worse, with TB only falling by 12% since 2015 and malaria rising by 8.5%.
Read the MIT Technology Review article: The world is on track to miss its health targets
