Table 1
Demographic, economic and health profiles of EMR countries.
| CATEGORY | POPULATION GROWTH | ECONOMY | HEALTH FINANCING | DEVELOPMENT | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INDICATORS | TOTAL (MILLION) | ANNUAL GROWTH (%) | > 65 YEARS (%TOTAL) | GNI/ CAPITA | ANNUAL GROWTH GDP (%) | TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH (%GDP) | GOVERNMENT HEALTH EXPENDITURE (% TOTAL) (2021) | PER CAPITA TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH (USD) | HDI (INDEX, RANK) (2022) |
| High‑income countries | |||||||||
| Bahrain | 1,485,509 | 0.9 | 4 | 28,280 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 8.6 | 2341.75 | 0.8 |
| Kuwait | 4,310,108 | 1.0 | 5 | 46,140 | −2.2 | 5.7 | 9.9 | 2908.25 | 0.8 |
| Oman | 4,644,384 | 1.5 | 3 | 21,540 | 1.3 | 4.3 | 10.5 | 1646.56 | 0.8 |
| Qatar | 2,716,391 | 0.8 | 2 | 70,070 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 8.3 | 2952.07 | 0.8 |
| Saudi Arabia | 36,947,025 | 1.5 | 3 | 28,690 | −0.8 | 5.9 | 14.4 | 3029.48 | 0.8 |
| United Arab Emirates | 9,516,871 | 0.8 | 2 | 53,290 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 12.8 | 4065.61 | 0.9 |
| Upper‑middle‑income countries | |||||||||
| Iran | 89,172,767 | 0.7 | 8 | 4680 | 5.0 | 5.77 | 26.1 | 951.1 | 0.7 |
| Iraq | 45,504,560 | 2.2 | 3 | 5600 | −2.9 | 5.25 | 6.9 | 513.2 | 0.6 |
| Jordan | 11,337,052 | 0.5 | 4 | 4460 | 2.6 | 7.29 | 7.9 | 738.5 | 0.7 |
| Lebanon | 5,353,930 | −2.5 | 10 | 4410 | −0.6 | 10.1 | 16.70% | 528.0 | 0.7 |
| Libya | 6,888,388 | 1.1 | 5 | 7570 | −1.7 | 4.0 | 6.42% (2011) | 646.7 | 0.7 |
| Lower‑middle‑income countries | |||||||||
| Djibouti | 1,136,455 | 1.4 | 5 | 3450 | 6.7 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 150.3 | 0.5 |
| Egypt | 112,716,598 | 1.5 | 5 | 3900 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 6.8 | 615.4 | 0.7 |
| Morocco | 37,840,044 | 1.0 | 8 | 3700 | 3.2 | 5.7 | 7.1 | 515.7 | 0.6 |
| Pakistan | 240,485,658 | 2.0 | 4 | 1500 | −0.0 | 2.9 | 4.5 | 167.3 | 0.5 |
| Sudan | 48,109,006 | 2.6 | 4 | 990 | −12.0 | 2.8 | 7.8 | 127.3 | 0.5 |
| Tunisia | 12,458,223 | 0.8 | 9 | 3770 | 0.4 | 6.9 | 12.4 | 784.1 | 0.7 |
| Low‑income countries | |||||||||
| Afghanistan | 42,239,854 | 2.7 | 2 | 360 | −6.2 | 21.8 | 4.1 | 363.61 | 0.4 |
| Somalia | 18,143,378 | 3.1 | 3 | 610 | 3.1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0.3 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 23,227,014 | 4.9 | 5 | 560 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 144.28 | 0.5 |
| Yemen | 34,449,825 | 2.2 | 3 | 820 (2018) | 0.8 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 102.1 | 0.4 |
Table 2
Health indicators across EMR countries.
| COUNTRY/REGION | LIFE EXPECTANCY (YEARS) (2021) | HEALTHY LIFE EXPECTANCY (YEARS) (2021) | NEONATAL MORTALITY (2022) | INFANT MORTALITY (2022) | <5 YEAR‑OLD MORTALITY (2022)a | ADULT MORTALITY (2021)b | MATERNAL MORTALITY (2020)c |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 63 | 50.4 | 36 | 45 | 58 | 344 | 620 |
| Bahrain | 79 | 64.2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 95 | 15.9 |
| Djibouti | 63 | 57.0 | 29 | 44 | 52 | 246 | 234 |
| Egypt | 70 | 60.4 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 171 | 16.8 |
| Iran | 75 | 64.0 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 121 | 22 |
| Iraq | 71 | 61.0 | 13 | 20 | 24 | 148 | 76.1 |
| Jordan | 74 | 65.1 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 98 | 41.3 |
| Kuwait | 80 | 67.8 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 75 | 7.17 |
| Lebanon | 74 | 63.2 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 114 | 20.6 |
| Libya | 72 | 62.1 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 166 | 72.1 |
| Morocco | 75 | 62.3 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 136 | 71.9 |
| Occupied Palestinian Territory | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 114 | N/A |
| Oman | 74 | 63.2 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 136 | 17 |
| Pakistan | 66 | 56.9 | 39 | 51 | 61 | 204 | 154 |
| Qatar | 82 | 66.2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 71 | 7.61 |
| Saudi Arabia | 78 | 65.6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 88 | 16.2 |
| Somalia | 56 | 47.4 | 35 | 68 | 106 | 405 | 621 |
| Sudan | 67.6 | 58.5 | 26 | 37 | 52 | 185 | 270 |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 72 | 62.3 | 11 | 18 | 21 | 131 | 29.9 |
| Tunisia | 74 | 63.6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 115 | 36.6 |
| United Arab Emirates | 79 | 67.3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 52 | 9.34 |
| Yemen | 64 | 56.5 | 22 | 33 | 41 | 226 | 183 |
| EMR | 68.5 | 59 | 24.5 | 34.3 | 42.9 | 173 | ‑ |
| Global | 71.4 | 61.9 | 17.3 | 27.9 | 37.1 | 157 | 223.5 |
| Low‑income countries | 63.7 | 55.3 | 26 | 46 | 65 | 245 | 409 |
| Lower‑middle‑income countries | 67.2 | 58.3 | 22 | 34 | 44 | 206 | 261 |
| Upper‑middle‑income countries | 74.2 | 65.1 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 129 | 62 |
| High‑income countries | 79.7 | 68.1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 107 | 12 |
[i] Life expectancy (Source: WHO 2021).
[ii] Healthy life expectancy (Source: WHO till 2021).
[iii] Neonatal mortality rate (Source: WHO 2022).
[iv] Infant mortality rate and < 5‑year‑old mortality rate (Source: WHO 2022).
[v] a Per 1000 live births (Source: WHO till 2022).
[vi] b Per 1000 live births (Source: WHO till 2021).
[vii] c Per 100,000 live births (Source: WHO till 2020) [10].
Figure 1A
Trends in infant mortality rates in EMR countries, 2014–2022.
Source: WHO [8].
Figure 1B
Trends in under‑5 mortality rates in EMR countries, 2014–2022.
Source: WHO [9].
These trends demonstrate gradual improvement in child survival indicators across the EMR over time; however, major disparities persist between high‑income and conflict‑affected countries, reflecting unequal healthcare access and health system capacity.
Figure 2
Mortality rates for NCDs, CDs and injuries in the EMR compared with global averages.
Source: GBD 2021 [14], NCDs: WHO [13] 2021.
The substantially higher NCD mortality rates in the EMR compared with global averages highlight the accelerating epidemiological transition occurring across the region and the increasing pressure placed on healthcare systems.
Figure 3
Prevalence of major risk factors in the EMR compared with global averages.
* Prevalence of risk factors comparing EMR to the global averages (2022) [14].
Table 3
Health workforce indicators in EMR countries.
| COUNTRIES | PHYSICIANSa | NURSESb | COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERSb | HOSPITAL BEDSb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 0.3 (2020) | 4.5 (2018) | 8.0 (2018) | 3.6 (2021) |
| Bahrain | 0.8 (2016) | 23.4 (2016) | N/A | 17.4 (2019) |
| Djibouti | 0.2 (2014) | 6.6 (2014) | N/A | 14.2 (2018) |
| Egypt | 0.7 (2019) | 18.2 (2018) | 0.09 (2018) | 11.3 (2020) |
| Iraq | 0.9 (2020) | 19.8 (2018) | N/A | 18.6 (2019) |
| Iran | 1.5 (2018) | 26.2 (2022) | 3.5 (2016) | 13 (2021) |
| Jordan | 2.5 (2019) | 31.6 (2019) | N/A | 13.8 (2021) |
| Kuwait | 2.3 (2020) | 45.8 (2020) | N/A | 23.5 (2020) |
| Lebanon | 2.6 (2019) | 19.2 (2018) | N/A | 27.3 (2021) |
| Libya | 2.2 (2017) | 67.3 (2017) | N/A | 32 (2021) |
| Morocco | 0.7 (2017) | 13.9 (2017) | 0.2 (2020) | 7.3 (2020) |
| Oman | 2.0 (2020) | 48.1 (2022) | N/A | 11.6 (2020) |
| Occupied Palestinian Territory | N/A | 19.5 (2018) | N/A | N/A |
| Pakistan | 1.1 (2019) | 4.6 (2019) | 0.7 (2019) | 5.1 (2019) |
| Qatar | 2.5 (2018) | 72.3 (2018) | N/A | 11.2 (2019) |
| Saudi Arabia | 2.8 (2021) | 55.0 (2022) | 1.5 (2018) | 21.5 (2021) |
| Somalia | 0.0 (2014) | 1.1 (2014) | 0.9 (2020) | 8.7 (2019) |
| Sudan | 0.3 (2017) | 11.4 (2018) | 1.5 (2004) | 6.6 (2020) |
| Syrian Arab Republic | 1.2 (2016) | 14.1 (2016) | N/A | 14.3 (2021) |
| Tunisia | 1.3 (2017) | 21.2 (2021) | N/A | 24.2 (2021) |
| United Arab Emirates | 2.9 (2020) | 63.8 (2021) | N/A | 19.8 (2021) |
| Yemen | 0.3 (2014) | 7.2 (2018) | 0.01 (2010) | 5.8 (2014) |