08/03/2025
How gender-responsive health systems move us closer towards...
31 January 2025
On Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day 2024, the call to governments to commit to sustainable health financing rang out across the world with the theme “Health: it’s on the government!”.
The United Nations designated 12 December as International Universal Health Coverage Day in 2017, and it has been celebrated around the world since. The eighth year of celebration saw a fresh, bold approach, speaking directly to governments to remind them of their responsibility to make UHC a reality and a national priority.
With the 2030 deadline to achieve UHC fast approaching, this year’s campaign aimed to refocus the world on the solutions needed to achieve this critical goal. 4.5 billion people are still missing out on essential health services. Moreover, financial protection has worsened over the past 20 years, with 2 billion people experiencing financial hardship when accessing services and 1.3 billion people pushed into poverty due to health expenses.
This campaign highlighted the importance of protecting people, particularly the most vulnerable, from impoverishing health spending. It emphasized that UHC enhances equity and social cohesion while also benefiting the national economy by improving health and well-being, increasing workforce participation and productivity, and building resilience in individuals, families and communities.
2024 saw strong levels of engagement, with significant increases in reach (including geographical reach) on social media, visitors to the microsite, subscribers to the UHC Day updates blog, and media hits. Most importantly, the campaign’s impact was tangible, with major announcements in 30 countries, doubling from 2023. The bold theme, designed to hold governments to account, appeared to hit a cord.
UHC Day 2024 campaign highlights
- A doubling of major government announcements, from 14 countries in 2023 to 30 countries in 2024
- A 34% increase in partner activities and events, from 110 activities in 39 countries in 2023 to 140 in 40 countries in 2024
- A 30% surge in media and online coverage from around the globe
- A 20% uptick in visitors and in traffic to the UHC Day microsite
- A 40% increase in social media reach, from 87 million in 2023 to 120 million in 2024, despite the decrease (10%) in total mentions and impressions
- A nearly 50% increase in subscribers to the UHC Day updates blog on Substack, as well as a 20% increase in page views and an extended reach to 97 countries (up from 72 countries in 2023)
Get involved in UHC Day 2025
Interested in engaging with this year's campaign? You can start by:
