Global access to quality health care has improved in the last two decades

But gap between countries with best and worst treatment grew

map of countries

HEALTH CARE PALETTE  Countries shaded with cooler hues had better health care quality and accessibility in 2015 than those with hotter colors. Researchers created the Healthcare Access and Quality Index to assess each country’s status.

R. Barber et al/The Lancet 2017

Health care quality and availability improved globally from 1990 to 2015, but the gap between the haves and the have-nots widened in those 25 years, researchers report online May 18 in the Lancet.