Running Head: GLOBAL HEALTH 1

Global Health and Human Development

Abigail Lopez

California State University, San Bernardino

HSCI 610

Julie Hernandez

November 15, 2016

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HDI Ranking

The Human Development Index (HDI) assesses the development of a country, which is

determined by three key aspects of human life: a long healthy life, knowledge, and being able to

have a decent standard of living (UNDP, Human Development Index, 2015). Countries are

placed into one of the four human development groups: very high human development, high

human development, medium human development, or low human development. The United

States falls under the very high human development group and ranks at number eight out of all

the countries in the world with Norway taking the lead (ranked at number 1) in the HDI ranking

with an HDI value of 0.944 compared to the United States value of 0.915 (UNDP, Human

Development Report, 2015). The other countries highly ranked are Australia, Switzerland,

Denmark, Netherlands, Germany and Ireland. All of which are ranked higher than the United

States. The countries that follow the United States are Canada and New Zealand.

The Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) is the HDI value adjusted for

inequalities in the three fundamental factors that define development in a country (UNDP,

Human Development Report, 2015). Out of all the countries under the same human development

category, the United States had a significantly higher percentage of inequalities among income

and life expectancy.

Countries Inequality in Income (%)

Norway 10.2

Australia 17.7

Switzerland 12.3

Denmark 14.4

Netherlands 11.6
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Germany 14.1

Ireland 16.3

United States 35.6

Life Expectancy

Life expectancy at birth is the number of years a newborn is expected to live if there are

no major health changes in the childs life. The United States life expectancy at birth rates

demonstrates a yearly increase from the years 1980 to 2013. Last year in 2015, the average life

expectancy for both sexes was 79.3 years old (WHO, Life Expectancy Data by Country, 2016).

Major difference in life expectancy is seen among men and women. Worldwide life expectancy

data provided by the World Health Organization (2016) demonstrates that females seem to be

living longer than males. On a public health standpoint, the contrast can be due to women

seeking more health care in comparison to men.

Life Expectancy at Birth in the United States

1980-2013
80
78
Age (Years)

76
74
72
70
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Life Expectancy at Birth in the U.S. 2000-2015

84
82
Age (Years) 80
78
76 Female

74 Male
72
70
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
As previously discussed in the last section on HDI ranking, the IHDI accounts for the

inequalities in the Human Development Index. Life expectancy inequality in the United States

was one of the factors that were significantly higher in comparison to the top eight nations (based

on the HDI ranking) along with income. The economic factor plays a huge role in what resources

are available to the people. Those who are financially struggling may not afford certain

resources, which can bring a toll on their health, resulting in a shorter life span.

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2010-2015)

7
6
Perccentage

5
4
3
2
1
0

Those who lack the knowledge (education) and inability to have a decent standard of

living are unable to live a long healthy life. The very high human development group had the

highest life expectancy rate compared to the other groups. As you go lower in the human
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development chain, the life expectancy decreases, creating a pattern that can revert back to the

idea of income. Those in the very high human development group have greater access to

resources compared to the other groups, hence, the reason for the trend seen among the four

categories of human development.

While the average life expectancy for the very high human development group is 80.5

years old, the United States falls short at an average of 79.3 (WHO, Life Expectancy Data by

Country, 2016). In fact, out of the top ten nations including countries such as Norway, Australia,

Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand, the United

States had the lowest life expectancy at birth for both males and females. Thus, questioning

whether the mistake that the U.S. is making is due to the economic inequalities or ineffective

healthcare.

Human Development Groups Life Expectancy (years)

Very high human development 80.5

High human development 75.1

Medium human development 68.6

Low human development 60.6

Maternal Mortality Rates

Every single day hundreds of women die from preventable causes related to childbirth

and pregnancy such as infections, severe bleeding, unsafe abortions or high blood pressure

(WHO, Maternal Mortality, 2015). Last year alone, 303,000 women died due to maternal causes

(WHO, Maternal Mortality, 2015). On the bright side, the Maternal Mortality fact sheet provided

by WHO (2015) showed that the 1990-2015 maternal mortality data displayed a 44% worldwide
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drop. Same results are seen in the United States; while the rates were slowly increasing from

1990, the rates started to decrease after the year 2010. Therefore, from now on, it is expected to

see a decline in maternal mortality rates.

Maternal Mortality in the United States from

1990-2015
700
Maternal deaths (number)

600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015

Based on the Maternal Mortality Country Profiles (2016) on the World Health

Organization website, developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and the

United Nations Population Division, data shows that the United States has the highest rates of

maternal deaths between the years 1990-2015 in comparison to the top ten countries based on the

HDI rank. United States reached a high rate of almost 600 maternal deaths in one year while the

other countries had rates far less than 100. However, developing countries have exceedingly

higher rates worldwide especially in Africa (WHO, Maternal Mortality, 2015). Lack of access to

healthcare and actually being able to afford the healthcare are reasons to explain the extreme

rates of maternal deaths in Africa.

Infant Mortality Rates

The same trend seen in the maternal mortality rates is detected in the infant rates. Just as

maternal deaths have been decreasing from the years 1990-2015, so have the infant mortality

rates (WHO, Infant Mortality, n.d.). Annual deaths for children under five were at 8.9 million in
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1990 compared to 4.5 million in 2015 (WHO, Infant Mortality, n.d.). Comparing all the infant

deaths that occurred in the top eight HDI rank countries previously mentioned between the years

1990-2015, the United States once again had significantly higher rates. However, just as with the

maternal mortality rates, greater rates were seen in the region of Africa (WHO, Infant Mortality,

n.d.). The extreme rates of infant and maternal mortality rates can be due to ineffective or lack of

health care. Infant deaths can be prevented if taken care of before complications start to arise.

However, this involves education and knowledge from the mother as well as the health

professionals to in turn, provide effective health measures to reduce maternal mortality.

Healthcare Spending and Correlation to Health Outcomes

Healthcare spending in the United States exceeds that of other highly ranked countries on

the Human Development Index. The World Health Organizations Health Expenditure Per

Capita, By Country 1995-2014 (2016) data showed that in 2014, the United States spent

$9402.54 per capita on healthcare while other high-income countries such as Norway, Australia,

Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand were spending

half of that while demonstrating better health outcomes.

Per Capita Total Health Expenditure in 2014

10000
9000
8000
7000
PPP int. $

6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
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Despite all the money the United States invests into healthcare, it is not positively

reflecting in the nations health outcomes. The health results in the United States are poorer

compared to other highly ranked countries. High health spending should correlate to overall good

health outcomes, but in the case of the United States, it does not add up. It comes to show that

the United States has flaws in the healthcare system. The United States may be spending so

much money on one person due to medical technology such as MRIs, CT scans, prescription

drugs or other expensive health procedures. Hence focusing on quantity rather than quality care

to prevent future health complications.

Health Expenditure Per Capita 2000-2014

10000

9000
Norway
8000
Australia
7000
Switzerland
6000
PPP int. $

Denmark
5000 Netherlands
4000 Germany
3000 Ireland

2000 United States

Canada
1000
New Zealand
0

What I learned

Analyzing the global health statistics emphasized the flaws in our nations health care

system. As one of the top ranked countries in the world, we should be exhibiting better health

outcomes. I was shocked to see how poorly the United States maternal and infant mortality rates

are. Nonetheless, the U.S. is doing better compared to countries in Africa, but not compared to
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other high- income countries. I knew the United States was spending a lot of money on health

care per capita but I was unaware of the major difference between what the U.S. spends in

comparison to other countries. With almost twice the investment, I would assume the U.S. would

be one of the healthiest countries in the world. Unfortunately, that is not the case. On a personal

note, I think the poor results are due to ineffective health care. People are not receiving the

quality of care they deserve. There are not enough doctors and physicians and there just isnt

enough time to fully express all health concerns with your primary doctor because they are

always rushing. A whole paper can be done on the problems with our healthcare system, but

bottom line is that public health, healthcare professionals, and the government have a lot to work

on in order to see an improvement in our nations overall health status.

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References

UNDP. (2015). Human Development Index (HDI). Retrieved November 11, 2016, from

http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi

UNDP. (2015). Human Development Report. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from

http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/2015_human_development_report.pdfhttp://hdr.und

p.org/en/69206

WHO. (2015, November). Maternal Mortality. Retrieved November 12, 2016, from

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs348/en/

WHO. (2016, June 30). Health expenditure per capita, by country, 1995-2014. Retrieved

November 11, 2016, from http://apps/who.int/gho/data/view.main.HEALTH

EXPAPCHN?lang=en

WHO. (2016, June 6). Life Expectancy Data by Country. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from

http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.688

WHO. (2016). Maternal Mortality Country Profiles. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from

http://www.who.int/gho/maternal_health/countries/usa.pdf

WHO. (n.d.). Infant Mortality. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from

http://www.who.int/gho/child_health/mortality/neonatal_infant_text/en/