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Coverage of essential health services

What you should know about this indicator

How is this data described by its producer?

A composite index representing coverage of essential health services based on 14 tracer indicators in the areas of reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases and service capacity and access. It is presented on a scale of 0 to 100 index points.

Aggregation method:

Weighted average

Statistical concept and methodology:

Methodology: The UHC service coverage index is computed as the weighted geometric means of 14 tracer indicators, as follows, organized by four broad categories of service coverage: I. Reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health

  1. Family planning: Percentage of women of reproductive age (15-49 years) who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods (SDG indicator 3.7.1, metadata available at https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-03-07-01.pdf)
  2. Pregnancy care: Percentage of women aged 15-49 years with a live birth in a given time period who received antenatal care four or more times
  3. Child immunization: Percentage of infants receiving three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis containing vaccine
  4. Child treatment: Percentage of children younger than 5 years with symptoms of acute respiratory infection (cough and fast or difficult breathing due to a problem in the chest and not due to a blocked nose only) in the 2 weeks preceding the survey for whom advice or treatment was sought from a health facility or provider II. Infectious diseases
  5. Tuberculosis: Percentage of incident TB cases that are detected and treated
  6. HIV/AIDS: Percentage of adults and children living with HIV currently receiving antiretroviral therapy
  7. Malaria: Percentage of population in malaria-endemic areas who slept under an insecticide-treated net the previous night [only for countries with high malaria burden]
  8. Water, sanitation and hygiene: Percentage of population using at least basic sanitation services. III. Noncommunicable diseases
  9. Hypertension: Coverage of treatment (taking medicine) for hypertension among adults aged 30-79 years with hypertension (age-standardized estimate) (%)
  10. Diabetes: Coverage of treatment (taking medication) for diabetes among adults aged 30 years and over with diabetes (age-standardized estimate) (%)
  11. Tobacco: Age-standardized prevalence of adults >=15 years currently using any tobacco product (smoked and/or smokeless tobacco) on a daily or non-daily basis (SDG indicator 3.a.1, metadata available at https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-03-0a-01.pdf) IV. Service capacity and access
  12. Hospital access: Hospital beds density, relative to a maximum threshold of 18 per 10,000 population?
  13. Health workforce: Health workers (medical doctors, nursing and midwifery personnel) per capita, relative to a combined maximum thresholds (overlap with SDG indicator 3.c.1, see metadata at https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-03-0C-01.pdf)
  14. Health security: International Health Regulations (IHR) core capacity index, which is the average percentage of attributes of 13 core capacities that have been attained?(SDG indicator 3.d.1, see metadata at https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-03-0D-01.pdf) Refer to Other notes for the Statistical Concept(s).

Development relevance:

SDG Target 3.8 is defined as “Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all”. The objective is for all people and communities to receive the quality health services they need (including medicines and other health products), without financial hardship. Two indicators have been chosen to monitor target 3.8 within the SDG framework. Indicator 3.8.1, the universal health service coverage index, is for service coverage of essential health services while indicator 3.8.2 focuses on financial hardship caused by out-of-pocket health expenditure.

Indicators of service coverage – defined as people receiving the service they need – are the best way to track progress in providing services under universal health coverage (UHC). Since a single health service indicator does not suffice for monitoring UHC, the UHC service coverage index is constructed from?14?tracer indicators (further organized into 4 health service areas) selected based on epidemiological and statistical criteria. This includes several indicators that are already included in other SDG targets, thereby minimizing the data collection and reporting burden.?The index is reported on a?unitless?scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being the?optimal?value.

Other notes:

Statistical concept(s): The calculation the UHC service coverage index requires first standardizing the 14 tracer indicators so that they can be combined into the index, and then computing the index from those values. The 14 tracer indicators are first all placed on the same scale, with 0 being the lowest value and 100 being the optimal value. For most indicators, this scale is the natural scale of measurement, e.g., the percentage of infants who have been immunized ranges from 0 to 100 percent. However, for a few indicators, conversion and/or rescaling is required to obtain appropriate values from 0 to 100. Once all tracer indicator values are on a scale of 0 to 100, weighted geometric means are computed within each of the four health service areas, and then a geometric mean is taken of those four values. Each tracer is weighted on an indicator specific population based on the denominator of the indicator using United Nations population estimates where applicable. Many of the tracer indicators of health service coverage are measured by household surveys. However, administrative data, facility data, facility surveys, and sentinel surveillance systems are utilized for certain indicators. Underlying data sources for each of the 14 tracer indicators are explained in Annex 1 (https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-03-08-01.pdf)

Source
Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
February 27, 2026
Next expected update
February 2027
Date range
2000–2023

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Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank – World Development Indicators

The World Development Indicators (WDI) database, published by the World Bank, is a comprehensive collection of global development data, providing key economic, social, and environmental statistics. It includes over 1,500 indicators covering more than 200 countries and territories, with data spanning several decades.WDI serves as a vital resource for policymakers, researchers, businesses, and analysts seeking to understand global trends and make data-driven decisions. The database covers a wide range of topics, including economic growth, education, health, poverty, trade, energy, infrastructure, governance, and environmental sustainability.The indicators are sourced from reputable national and international agencies, ensuring high-quality, consistent, and comparable data. Users can access the database through interactive online tools, API services, and downloadable datasets, facilitating detailed analysis and visualization.WDI is also used for tracking progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global development initiatives. By providing accessible and reliable statistics, it helps to inform policy discussions and strategies globally.Whether for academic research, policy planning, or economic analysis, the World Development Indicators database is an essential tool for understanding and addressing global development challenges.

Retrieved on
February 27, 2026
Retrieved from
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH_UHC_SCI
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Universal Health Coverage Dataset, World Health Organization (WHO) [WHO], uri: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage. Indicator SH_UHC_SCI (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH_UHC_SCI). World Development Indicators - World Bank (2026). Accessed on 2026-02-27.

The World Development Indicators (WDI) database, published by the World Bank, is a comprehensive collection of global development data, providing key economic, social, and environmental statistics. It includes over 1,500 indicators covering more than 200 countries and territories, with data spanning several decades.WDI serves as a vital resource for policymakers, researchers, businesses, and analysts seeking to understand global trends and make data-driven decisions. The database covers a wide range of topics, including economic growth, education, health, poverty, trade, energy, infrastructure, governance, and environmental sustainability.The indicators are sourced from reputable national and international agencies, ensuring high-quality, consistent, and comparable data. Users can access the database through interactive online tools, API services, and downloadable datasets, facilitating detailed analysis and visualization.WDI is also used for tracking progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other global development initiatives. By providing accessible and reliable statistics, it helps to inform policy discussions and strategies globally.Whether for academic research, policy planning, or economic analysis, the World Development Indicators database is an essential tool for understanding and addressing global development challenges.

Retrieved on
February 27, 2026
Retrieved from
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH_UHC_SCI
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
Universal Health Coverage Dataset, World Health Organization (WHO) [WHO], uri: https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage. Indicator SH_UHC_SCI (https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH_UHC_SCI). World Development Indicators - World Bank (2026). Accessed on 2026-02-27.

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Citations

How to cite this page

To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:

“Data Page: Coverage of essential health services”. Our World in Data (2026). Data adapted from Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank. Retrieved from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260512-185716/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.html [online resource] (archived on May 12, 2026).

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In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:

Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data

Full citation

Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. “Coverage of essential health services” [dataset]. Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank, “World Development Indicators 125” [original data]. Retrieved May 13, 2026 from https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260512-185716/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.html (archived on May 12, 2026).

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https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false
Metadata URL (JSON format)
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.metadata.json?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false

Code examples

Examples of how to load this data into different data analysis tools.

Excel / Google Sheets
=IMPORTDATA("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false")
Python with Pandas
import pandas as pd
import requests

# Fetch the data.
df = pd.read_csv("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false", storage_options = {'User-Agent': 'Our World In Data data fetch/1.0'})

# Fetch the metadata
metadata = requests.get("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.metadata.json?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false").json()
R
library(jsonlite)

# Fetch the data
df <- read.csv("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false")

# Fetch the metadata
metadata <- fromJSON("https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.metadata.json?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false")
Stata
import delimited "https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/healthcare-access-quality-un.csv?v=1&csvType=full&useColumnShortNames=false", encoding("utf-8") clear