Endorsements

Gabriel Squeff, General Coordinator of Health Economics Information, Department of Health Economics and Development

Ministry of Health, Brasilia, Brazil

The book offers a clear and detailed understanding of health inequalities and the importance of monitoring them. The monitoring approaches discussed in the book can be adapted to the reality in Brazil – or other countries. The book provides valuable guidance on how to coordinate different sectors of society for effective and coordinated action.

Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer

Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Canada

Health inequality monitoring: harnessing data to advance health equity is an essential resource for public health professionals, policy-makers and researchers committed to advancing health equity. Bringing together existing resources and the latest scientific knowledge, this book introduces innovations in health inequality monitoring that highlight the importance of stakeholder engagement, data governance, and advancements in methods, data collection and analysis. This comprehensive guide will serve as a tool to empower countries to make informed, inclusive and equitable decisions to improve the health and well-being of all people.

Ximena Aguilera, Minister of Health

Ministry of Health, Santiago, Republic of Chile

As a minister of health, I find this book on health inequality monitoring invaluable for achieving universal health coverage and Sustainable Development Goals. This book is recommended for anyone committed to advancing health equity because it provides a comprehensive framework for identifying, measuring and addressing health disparities.

Anthony Adofo Ofosu, Deputy Director-General of Ghana Health Service

Ministry of Health, Accra, Ghana

This book will help countries build capacity to better monitor inequalities and make targeted interventions to address them. I endorse this book as a useful tool for the use of countries in our drive towards achieving universal health coverage.

Benjamin Nyakutsey, Head of Policy Department

Ministry of Health, Accra, Ghana

I find the book very relevant to the ideals and aspirations of ensuring a healthy population for national development by eliminating health inequalities through the principles of whole-of-government and whole-of-society. I therefore fully endorse this document as an important resource for improving determinants of health evidence generation and knowledge transmission for policy action.

Diana Atwine, Permanent Secretary

Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda

This publication serves as an essential guide, providing a wealth of knowledge, tools, and methodologies to better understand disparities in health and, more importantly, to take informed actions to reduce them. We commend the WHO for consolidating both foundational and cutting-edge knowledge on health inequality monitoring and strongly encourage health stakeholders around the world to utilize this resource to advance health equity for all.

Ola Rosling, President

Gapminder.org, Stockholm, Sweden

I seriously believe that monitoring health inequalities is one of the best ways to improve the world. This book compiles all the practical guidance needed to modernize the production and use of detailed statistics for any country, region or district. When we monitor a problem, we can solve it – and making basic health care available to everyone would bring dignity to all of humankind and have enormous economic value.

Hope L. Johnson, Special Advisor to the CEO and Director of Measurement, Evaluation and Learning

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Geneva, Switzerland

Harnessing the power of data helps us identify and understand the barriers to health. This book brings together the fundamental data and tools across health in a useful stepwise approach. The system for monitoring inequalities will enable even the most marginalized to be routinely visible, and their challenges in accessing and receiving quality care known so they can then reach and live healthy and productive lives.

Vuyiseka Dubula, Head of the Community Rights and Gender Department

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Geneva, Switzerland

This groundbreaking publication marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to better understand and address health disparities that continue to affect the most marginalized communities worldwide. The resource equips multisectoral partnerships and stakeholders with the essential tools and frameworks to monitor and respond to the core drivers of health inequalities.

Sarah Hawkes and Kent Buse, Co-Chief Executive Officers

Global Health 50/50, Cambridge, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

This timely book offers a crucial contribution to advancing inequality monitoring and building government capacity to address it. Granular data are essential for creating socially just health policies. Measuring and addressing health inequalities is not just technical – it’s a political act, and health advocates must champion both data disaggregation and action for health justice.

Mary Mahy, Director of Data for Impact

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Geneva, Switzerland

The book’s emphasis on evidence-informed decision-making and equity-oriented policy-making ensures that readers can apply the insights to drive meaningful change. Whether you’re a public health professional, researcher, or student, this book equips you with the tools and knowledge to make a significant impact on health equity.

Steve MacFeely, Chief Statistician and Director of the Statistics and Data Directorate

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris, France

Health Inequality Monitoring: Harnessing Data to Advance Health Equity makes an important contribution to our understanding of health inequalities by taking the dedicated reader through the data lifecycle, from concepts and definitions, data sources, measurement approaches, to analyses and interpretation. But even the casual reader will be rewarded, as they dip in and out of chapters, and reflect on the hypothetical scenarios and real-world examples that illustrate graphically why health inequality matters.

Paula Braveman, Professor Emeritus

University of California, San Francisco, United States of America

This will be a tremendously useful resource for health researchers who wish to look beneath the surface of population averages to reveal and understand health inequalities. This is an important WHO contribution to efforts for greater equity.

Michael Marmot, Director of the Institute of Health Equity

University College London, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Many of us have lamented the relative scarcity of evidence on health equity from countries, and the lack of expertise to address the problem. This book shows what needs to be done – it brings together the expertise – and should make a major contribution in stimulating gathering of the kind of evidence that is vital. It is a needed step in advancing the cause of social justice and health. How on earth did we get this far without it? This will be the definitive text on the subject.

Cesar Victora, Emeritus Professor

Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil

Missed opportunities for measuring, interpreting and acting upon health inequalities seem to be the rule rather than the exception. The greatest contribution of this book is addressing such missed opportunities by bringing it all together – namely, by summarizing the literature on monitoring health inequalities that was previously scattered across multiple publications. With its broad scope and critical relevance to global health, this book will become an indispensable resource for policy-makers, researchers and public health professionals willing to implement evidence-informed, equity-oriented strategies.

Richard Banda, WHO Representative

WHO Namibia Country Office, Windhoek, Namibia

This book is a good resource from several perspectives: the use of inclusive terminology, the provision of more granular and precise approaches, the focus on previously overlooked groups such as migrants, and the emphasis on intersectionality, which are strong additions to harness data to tackle inequalities.

WHO Uganda Country Office, Kampala, Uganda

By systematically addressing the complexities of health inequality, this work will undoubtedly empower countries to implement more effective and targeted interventions, making it a valuable contribution to global health equity efforts. Its impact lies in its ability to translate complex data into actionable insights, thus guiding the practice of health inequality monitoring with precision and relevance.

Moeti Rebecca Matshidiso, Regional Director

WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo

This essential resource equips countries with the tools needed to better utilize data in addressing health inequalities and ensuring that no one is left behind. It is an invaluable asset for anyone dedicated to leveraging data to promote health equity in the African Region, particularly in identifying populations that are significantly behind in meeting their health needs.

Sebastian Garcia Saiso, Director of Evidence and Intelligence for Action in Health

Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC, United States of America

This comprehensive and timely document on health inequality monitoring represents a key tool to position health equity at the centre of health policy development, implementation and monitoring. This resource is essential for policy-makers, researchers and public health professionals seeking to understand and redress global health inequities, ultimately contributing to a fairer and healthier world for all.

Manoj Jhalani, Director, Department of Universal Health Coverage/Health Systems

WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, New Delhi, India

As countries advance in reorienting their health systems towards primary health care, it becomes crucial to measure and monitor health inequalities over time and across different population groups. This book presents a compelling vision of health inequality monitoring as a shared responsibility across global, regional, national, subnational and community levels, while offering robust analytical tools to evaluate policy interventions at these multiple layers.

Arash Rashidian, Director of Science, Information and Dissemination

WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt

Bringing together decades of advancements across disciplines, this book provides clear guidance for measuring and understanding the inequalities in health between population groups. The book presents a strong rationale for health inequality monitoring and charts a way forward for better communication with policy-makers, community members and other key audiences.

Kidong Park, Director of Data, Strategy and Innovation and Hiromasa Okayasu, Director of the Division of Healthy Environments and Populations

WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Manila, Philippines

This resource provides a comprehensive framework for identifying and addressing health inequalities within and between countries. By leveraging the data collection and analysis techniques outlined, our Member States can better track progress towards health equity and inform policy decisions to address inequities more effectively – advancing towards a just society that upholds health for families, communities and societies.

Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General, Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery for Impact

WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland

This publication is a game-changer for global health, offering practical tools to monitor and address inequalities – a key WHO priority. It equips bold leaders with evidence-based guidance to drive impactful change and hold systems accountable. By using this resource, professionals can transform data into action, making marginalized populations visible and ensuring fair access to health benefits. Equity demands both political will and technical expertise. As Brock Chisholm said, “scientific progress brings new efficiency to medicine, and social progress demands that these benefits reach the entire population.”

Alia El-Yassir, Director of the Department for Gender, Equity, Diversity and Rights for Health