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- Health was a major focus in 2024, shaping global news and driving key discussions at the World Economic Forum.
- From climate change health impacts to the rise of antimicrobial resistance and improving health equity for women, here are 6 top health stories of the year.
1. The impact of climate change on health
Failing to mitigate and adapt to climate change will pose our greatest global risk, according to the report, with shifting climate and weather patterns already causing alarming trends. These include rising pathogens, increased pollution, worsening extreme weather and widening health inequities, especially for vulnerable populations with limited access to quality healthcare.
Overview of climate hazard impact on health outcomes. Image: World Economic Forum/Oliver Wyman
The climate crisis could result in an additional 14.5 million deaths, $12.5 trillion in economic losses, and $1.1 trillion in extra costs to healthcare systems by 2050. Floods, droughts and heatwaves were highlighted as the three most acute climate risks for global health.
The report noted two areas of focus for improving healthcare system resilience: preventing the health impacts of climate change and enhancing recovery from climate events.
The world paid considerable attention to the intersection of climate and health this year, with 2024 seeing a health day held at COP29 for the second time in history. This issue was also a special focus area for the G20 health agenda in 2024.
2. Communicable disease outbreaks
2024 saw the rise or return of several infectious diseases, including:
- Measles cases surged by 20% in 2023, with 10.3 million reported globally, the World Health Organization warned in November, with vaccine misinformation driving the largest drop in childhood vaccinations in 30 years.
- Mpox was declared a public health emergency by the WHO in August following the discovery of a new ‘clade 1b’ strain of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Travel-related cases were also reported in Canada, Germany, India, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and other countries.
- Since 2021, cases of dengue have doubled, with the WHO reporting over 12.7 million between January and September 2024 – nearly double the number of cases in 2023.
3. How technology is improving health
We’ve covered many stories this year on how generative AI is being applied in healthcare to improve research, diagnostics, treatment and other processes.
Discover
What is the World Economic Forum doing to accelerate value-based health care?
Value-based healthcare is about focusing on delivering health outcomes that truly matter to the individual and the society at large in cost-effective ways. The focus is on putting the individual at the centre of health and care.
These hubs form a community of practice, whose learnings, methodologies and tools will help multiple organizations scale up their health system transformation and accelerate the pace of value-based healthcare.
, and find out how to join the community of hubs.
4. Women’s health
Despite living longer than men, women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health. That’s just one of the startling stats from a Forum report produced in association with the McKinsey Health Institute.
Women’s health gap and GDP impact by age groups. Image: World Economic Forum/McKinsey Health Institute
5. Health and work
Given how much time we spend at work, our jobs significantly impact our health and therefore the health of the global economy. In this video, one CEO explains the relationship between poor employee mental health and the bottom line, and the importance of senior executives to improving outcomes for all.
Workplace wellbeing remained a key topic in 2024. Explore a selection of articles from the past year for more insights.
6. Antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remained a major global threat in 2024.
This explainer traced the issue from Alexander Fleming’s discovery of the first antibiotic to the rise of drug resistance, highlighting its current impact on global health, food security and development.
In October, Manica Balasegaram, Executive Director of the Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership, highlighted new research predicting that drug-resistant deaths could reach 169 million by 2050. Here, he explains how improving global access to the right antibiotics is crucial to addressing the issue.
