The new World Health Organization (WHO) world report on social determinants of health equity reveals nearly 20 after its first landmark Commission on the Social Determinants of Health that 'social injustice continues to kill on a grand scale'.  

The Commission, which was chaired by the UCL Institute of Health Equity's Director, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, highlighted the evidence linking the non-medical root causes of ill health - conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age - and life expectancy.

WHO's new global report shows, where data allows, within-country health inequities are widening and the health gap targets set by the Comission will be missed, largely due to a lack of political will to implement the longer-term policy solutions needed to improve health for everyone, proportionate to need.

WHO's 2025 new global report, the evidence review for which was provided by the IHE, reinforces that most of health outcomes are driven by the social circumstances of daily life, and inequities in power, money and resources.

These structural drivers of health inequalities are a major focus of the new report: addressing economic inequality; investing in public services and infrastructure; dealing with the commercial determinants of health; internationall collaboration to create fiscal space for addressing social determinants of health; empowering local government and supporting community engagement; recognising the importnace of social protection.

The WHO is calling for collective action from national and local governments and leaders within health, academic, research, civil society, alongside the private sector. Across the UK the IHE is working with local government, businesses and community and voluntary sector organisations in more than 50 local areas, including the whole of Scotland and Wales, to prioritise health and health inequalities.