Prioritizing

health: A prescription for prosperity

In the past century, health improvements from vaccines, an bio cs, sanita on, and nutri on
among others, have been a powerful catalyst for economic growth by expanding the labor
force, increasing produc vity, and delivering immense social benefits. We examine what it
would take to improve the health of the global popula on in the next two decades and what
the benefits would be for individuals, society, and the economy.
Estimated Additional healthy Economic benefit
GDP impact GDP boost in
potential reduction days per person a from every $1
in 2040 ($) 2040 (%)
in poor health year invested
Global 41% 21 $11,583B 8% $2.70

Region i
World

Estimated potential reduction in poor

© 2020 Mapbox © OpenStreetMap health
Range: 31 to 58%

31% 58%
Estimated potential reduction in ? Top 5 health interventions by impact ?
poor health by intervention Global

Environmental,
Therapeutic social and Vaccines 11%
behavioral
28% Therapeutic anti-infective
34% 10%
medicines

Safe childbirth 9%
Global

38% Dietary interventions 9%

Medicines for heart disease,

Prevention and 8%
stroke prevention, and diabetes
health promotion

Global: GDP Impact, 2040: $11,583B ?

Percent
Fewer early Fewer health Expanded Increase in
deaths conditions participation labor productivity

Global 12% 36% 34% 17%

Sources: Ins tute for Health Metrics and Evalua on, used with permission, all rights reserved; World Bank, various sources, McKinsey Global
Ins tute analysis
Please note: The boundaries and names shown on maps do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by McKinsey & Company. Not all
countries included due to metric availability. Not all totals sum to Global or 100% due to rounding.

For more on this research, see our report: Prioritizing health: A prescription for prosperity