Equity and Health

Identifying, measuring, and addressing health inequities across countries, cultures, and communities

According to the World Health Organization, health equity is defined as the absence of unfair and avoidable or remediable differences in health among population groups.¹

Today, many individuals and communities do not have this opportunity because of bias and systemic barriers with regards to gender, race, education, socioeconomic status, geographical location, and other structural factors.

Addressing inequities in health and healthcare benefits all of society. Reducing gaps in access and quality of care for women, for example, improves health outcomes for infants, as well. Advancing to reduce health inequity across social groups strengthens healthcare systems and contributes significantly to economic growth.²

Reducing inequities in health will require a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach. Three sets of actions will be particularly important in all societies where health inequities between groups persist:

Improve affordable, high-quality access to healthy food, healthcare services and products, and other resources vital to good health to all parts of society
Invest to ensure that innovation in health and healthcare addresses the needs of the disadvantaged
Work to better engage underserved communities and to help them establish trust-based relationships with health care providers

Topics to Explore

In collaboration with relevant stakeholders, the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) is interested in exploring long-term questions such as:

What are the most effective ways to measure health inequities and track success to inform effective actions?
How can stakeholders in the healthcare system and beyond collaborate to improve equitable access to all factors necessary for a healthy life?
How can we leverage data to consistently and transparently reveal biases in the healthcare system, while investing in needed system capabilities to address these biases?

Featured Insights

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MHI estimates that a focus on immediately influenceable interventions at the city level can add approximately 20 billion to 25 billion years of higher-quality life at a global level.

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The business of healthcare: ‘I’m always optimistic about what’s possible’

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Clinician and business executive Cheryl Pegus shares her bold vision for healthcare and the role businesses can play in ensuring everyone has access to high-quality healthcare.

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The missing billion: Lack of disability data impedes healthcare equity

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Addressing the absence of health data on people with disabilities is the essential first step health systems and policy makers can take to reduce care inequity and improve outcomes for this population.

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Health equity: A framework for the epidemiology of care

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Pharmaceutical and life sciences companies can unlock new opportunities, help underserved patients, and build a cycle of trust.

^{1. For more information, see “Health equity,” World Health Organization, 2022

2. “Health at a Glance 2017: OECD indicators,” OECDiLibrary, OECD 2017

3. For more information, see “Social determinants of health,” World Health Organization, 2022, and “Child outcomes: infant mortality,” OECD family database, OECD 2022

4. “Life expectancy by sex and education level,” Health at a Glance 2019, OECDiLibrary, OECD 2019

5. Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, Abrams Press, Mar 12, 2019}