The World Health Organization (WHO) has published what it calls its most comprehensive global assessment to date of inequalities within countries in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors, urging governments to look beyond national averages to see who is being left behind.

Source: WHO

The report, “State of inequality: noncommunicable diseases and their risk factors”, was published on 20 October 2026 and launched at a global webinar on 22 October, WHO said. It covers four major disease groups — cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes — and five major risk factors: tobacco and alcohol use, obesity and unhealthy diets, insufficient physical activity, and air pollution.

4major disease groups covered — cancer, cardiovascular, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes — WHO
5major risk-factor groups covered, including tobacco, alcohol, obesity, inactivity and air pollution — WHO
20 Oct 2026publication date of the WHO report, launched 22 October — WHO

“How do noncommunicable diseases and their risk factors vary across population groups within countries, and what can governments do to ensure that no one is left behind?” WHO asked in its launch notice. A country can improve its overall health indicators while some communities continue to fall behind, the assessment warns — a national average does not tell the whole story.

Alongside the report, WHO published an advocacy brief, “The hidden inequalities behind noncommunicable diseases: from evidence to action”, which draws on the report to recommend how countries can use inequality data to strengthen prevention and control efforts, WHO said.

Key facts

WHO's report examines gaps within countries — by income, education, age, gender, disability, migration and place of residence — in who gets ill, who is diagnosed and screened, and who receives treatment for chronic diseases.

Summaries of the report's findings said that in low- and middle-income countries, people with less education had more hypertension and diabetes and received less treatment for both, rural populations had less access to hypertension diagnosis and treatment and to cervical screening than urban populations, and poorer, less-educated women were screened least for cervical cancer. Those findings were summarised from the report by reviewers and health outlets reporting its launch.

WHO said evidence on inequalities can help governments design and implement NCD policies better, target prevention and care, improve health outcomes, and ensure progress reaches the populations experiencing the greatest disadvantage.

What is solid

  • WHO published the 'State of inequality' NCD report on 20 October 2026 and launched it on 22 October, calling it its most comprehensive assessment of country-level NCD inequalities to date — WHO
  • The report covers four disease groups and five risk-factor groups — WHO

What is only claimed

  • How far individual country patterns match the global picture varies by country and data gaps limit some comparisons — summaries of the report note national data gaps