Policy document
Atlas 2022 of African health Statistics: Key results towards achieving the health-related SDGs targets.
Serge B, Ebongue M, Ursull Alexandra ST, Humphrey K ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001The Atlas 2022 of African Health Statistics reviews progress towards health-related Sustainable Development Goals across the African region. It finds that hunger, malnutrition, maternal and neonatal mortality remain high, with rising non-communicable diseases and weak mental health systems. Many countries face significant inequalities in access to health services, water and sanitation, and violence against women. Most regional health indicators are on track to fall short of SDG targets by 2030, though some individual countries show progress.
Key points
- Hunger and various forms of malnutrition remain widespread across the African region
- Maternal and neonatal mortality rates are higher in Africa compared to other global regions
- Incidence of non-communicable diseases is increasing with poor mechanisms to address mental health
- Significant inequalities exist in access to health services, water, sanitation, and violence prevention, particularly in rural areas
- Most health-related SDG indicators will not meet targets at the regional level by 2030, though individual countries show varied progress
Limitations
This is a regional overview document that presents aggregate findings and does not provide detailed country-specific analyses or underlying data for individual indicators. It does not evaluate specific interventions or provide detailed evidence on what strategies work to improve health outcomes.
Abstract
Introduction The Atlas 2022 of African Health Statistics is a comprehensive tool that gives an overview of the health ecosystem in the African region. As such, it tracks progress towards globally agreed objectives, such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), assesses the capacity of African countries to achieve them, and helps policymakers identify gaps and areas requiring substantial reinforcement. Methods We analyzed health-related SDGs' key indicators in the Atlas 2022 of African Health Statistics. This platform is a nexus for consistent and comparable data sources across countries. A review of studies addressing the evolution of health-related SDG indicators in Africa was also considered for discussion and recommendations. Results Hunger and different forms of malnutrition remain prevalent in the Region. Maternal and neonatal mortality is still high compared to other regions, with increasing incidences of non-communicable diseases and poor mechanisms to address mental health issues. Many inequalities are noted in violence against women, access to health services, or access to water and basic sanitation, which is exacerbated in rural areas. Regarding achieving the SDGs, the trend of most indicators shows they will be challenging to perform at the Regional level. However, a few countries are on track to achieve some goals. These results clearly show that countries have different experiences and, therefore, different progress in achieving sustainable development goals. The delays experienced by many countries in terms of development in other sectors, such as climate and the environment, poverty reduction and economic growth, equity and justice, etc., will make it even more difficult to achieve the health-related SDGs. Achieving these goals should, therefore, be seen as a transdisciplinary and inclusive process. Conclusion Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic that has recently challenged health systems worldwide, the African Region is also dealing with several threats, jeopardizing its progress toward achieving the SDGs by 2030. Given the Region's particular context, a readjustment of the regional targets and/or deadlines would be advisable to ensure they are achievable.