Countries by UHC service coverage sub-index on infectious diseases
Twenty-two countries, including Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Spain, achieve a perfect score of 100 on the UHC service coverage sub-index on infectious diseases. At the other end, Ethiopia ranks 193rd with a score of 12. The 88-point gap between the top and bottom of the ranking reflects the full range of variation in tuberculosis control, HIV/AIDS response, malaria management, and access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
Ranking 2023
Analysis
This metric measures how well countries cover essential services related to infectious disease control. According to the source definition, the UHC service coverage sub-index on infectious diseases is based on four tracer indicators: (i) Tuberculosis, (ii) HIV/AIDS, (iii) Malaria, and (iv) Water, sanitation and hygiene. It is presented on a scale of 0 to 100 index points and is one of the four sub-indexes underlying the overall UHC service coverage index. Data comes from the World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator code: SH_UHC_SCI_ID) for the year 2023. The ranking covers 193 countries, all with data from the last seven years, and 100 percent of datapoints are classified as official. No extreme outliers were identified using a 3-standard-deviation threshold, and the average year-over-year change was 3.3 percent, indicating stable trend data. The value range runs from 12 to 100, a spread of 733 percent.
The top of the ranking is dominated by high-income countries across Europe, East Asia, and the Gulf. All 22 countries at rank 1 score a perfect 100, including Australia, Austria, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, New Zealand, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland, among others. A further 28 countries score 99 at rank 23, including Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Thailand. Countries scoring 98 at rank 51 include Norway, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Kazakhstan. Scores remain high through rank 80, where Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sri Lanka, and Syria all reach 95.
Middle-ranking countries show a more gradual decline. India ranks 127th with a score of 81. South Africa ranks 132nd at 77. The ranking then drops more steeply into the lower tier: Sudan and Yemen share rank 145 at 62, Mali sits at rank 147 with 56, and a cluster of sub-Saharan African countries occupies the bottom quarter. Notable anomalies include Ireland ranking 101st at 90, a score lower than several lower-income countries such as Turkmenistan (rank 23, score 99) and Thailand (rank 23, score 99). Gabon ranks 188th at 24, a notably low placement relative to other middle-income African nations. Ethiopia ranks last at 193rd with a score of 12.
Several limitations apply to this metric. The sub-index aggregates four distinct tracer indicators into a single composite score, which means strong performance in one area can offset weak performance in another without this being visible in the final number. Countries with limited data infrastructure may have scores derived from modeled estimates rather than direct measurement, potentially affecting comparability. The metric does not capture quality of services, only proxy coverage. Countries with small populations, including several Pacific Island states and European microstates, are included without population weighting, which can affect interpretation. Scores reflect the 2023 data year but underlying tracer data may have varying reference periods across countries.
Methodology
Data is sourced from the World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code SH_UHC_SCI_ID, for the reference year 2023. The ranking covers 193 countries. All 193 countries have data from within the last seven years, representing 100 percent recency. All datapoints are classified as official quality, exceeding the 70 percent threshold. Per the source definition, the UHC service coverage sub-index on infectious diseases is based on four tracer indicators: (i) Tuberculosis, (ii) HIV/AIDS, (iii) Malaria, and (iv) Water, sanitation and hygiene. It is presented on a scale of 0 to 100 index points and is one of the four sub-indexes underlying the overall UHC service coverage index. The index ranges from 12 (Ethiopia) to 100 (22 countries), a spread of 733 percent. No extreme outliers were found at the 3-standard-deviation threshold. Average year-over-year change across the dataset is 3.3 percent, indicating low volatility. The metric is a composite and does not separately report the four component indicators in this dataset.