European Health Report 2018: more than numbers - evidence for all

With the half-way point in the implementation period of Health 2020 having been crossed, this report reflects on the effect that the policy has had on the Region. Like its predecessors in 2012 and 2015, the 2018 report is an essential resource for the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region to report on progress towards the Health 2020 targets, outlining areas that may be unfinished by 2020 and beyond. Lessons learned from across the Region on action taken by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and Member States to improve the health and well-being of their populations are presented. The report also addresses the new public health challenges that have emerged in recent years. To respond effectively to these challenges, new forms of evidence are essential to measure health and well-being in different cultural and subjective contexts. This is particularly important in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, whose health indicators overlap significantly with those for Health 2020. The report will be a useful source of information for policy-makers throughout the Region, helping them identify areas that need further assessment and policy action at the national level. It should inspire Member States and other stakeholders to contribute to the work under the umbrella of the WHO European Health Information Initiative: a collaboration between the Regional Office, European institutions and Member States aimed at improving the information that underpins policy. Only through broad international cooperation and bold strides in the way evidence is used in the 21st century will evidence fully inform health policy-making for the benefit of all.