Public health priorities in countries undergoing economic transition

This chapter starts by reviewing the relationship between the economy and health, looking at changes in health outcome as income increases, demographic transitions related to economic growth, and the impact of urbanization on health outcomes. It then reviews major health challenges facing middle-income countries (MICs), including the triple burden of disease, multimorbidity, mental health across the life course, and the impacts of migration, climate change, and antimicrobial resistance. Finally, it discusses health system challenges and the importance of building resilient and ‘learning’ health systems with the agility to adapt to meet MICs’ evolving health needs. We discuss strategies to achieve universal health coverage in MICs and the importance of intersectoral collaboration in promoting health.