World health statistics 2009

Overview

World Health Statistics 2009 contains WHO’s annual compilation of data from its 193 Member States, and includes a summary of progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and targets. This edition also contains a new section on reported cases of selected infectious diseases.

The contents of this book have been collated from publications and databases produced and maintained by WHO’s technical programmes and regional offices. Indicators have been included on the basis of their relevance to global health, the availability and quality of the data and the reliability and comparability of estimates. This set of indicators provides a comprehensive summary of the current status of national health and health systems, including: mortality and burden of disease, causes of death, reported infectious diseases, health service coverage, risk factors, health systems resources, health expenditures, inequities and demographic and socioeconomic statistics.