Countdown to 2030

Tracking Progress Towards Universal Coverage for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health

February 8, 2023

Achieving universal health coverage is a critical component of Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all people of all ages. To that end, the Countdown to 2030 initiative was established to regularly track and monitor progress in the countries facing the greatest burden of maternal and child mortality.

Over the past two decades, there have been significant improvements in reducing maternal and child mortality, but progress has slowed in recent years, and more effort is required to reach the 2030 goals. To help inform these efforts, Countdown 2030 regularly updates its country profiles and dashboards with the latest available data for 145 countries.

The data included in the country profiles provides a comprehensive overview of the health situation in each country. It covers a range of factors, including demographics, nutrition, coverage of key reproductive, maternal, newborn, adolescent, and child health interventions, equity, policy, systems, and financial flows. By examining this data, stakeholders can see whether progress is being made or has stagnated in recent years, and target their efforts accordingly.

To further support this goal, Countdown 2030 has launched regional profiles, which provide a regional lens to view the existing country data. The regional profiles offer regional aggregates for all indicators and enable comparisons of progress across countries within each region. By providing this broader view, the regional profiles empower regional stakeholders to identify country successes and those where more resources and attention are required.

Key Messages

  • Despite substantial progress in reducing maternal, newborn, adolescent and child mortality worldwide, inequities persist. Data show countries in sub-Saharan Africa are lagging most behind.
  • Coverage of health interventions is higher for those that are well resourced, can take place at planned times (such as preventive services), and do not depend on a functioning healthcare system.
  • The indicators for monitoring progress need to be revised to include proven interventions for older children, adolescents, and adult women.
  • Further disaggregation of intervention coverage by equity measures is important to better understand who is being left behind.