The objective of this study was to quantify inequalities in selected
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) indicators in all the 192 WHO Member
States using descriptive statistics, the Gini coefficient and the Theil
coefficient. The data on all the indicators were obtained from The
World Health Report 2004. The main findings were as follows: (i)
generally, all the MDG indicators are significantly worse in low-income
countries than in the other three income groupings; (ii) for all the
MDG indicators, there are inequalities within individual countries,
within the four income groups, and across income groups of countries;
(iii) the inequalities in the MDG indicators are higher among the
low-income countries than in high-income countries; and (iv) the
ranking of income groups, by various indicators, is fairly stable
whether one employs the Gini coefficient or Theil coefficient. As
Member States strive to expand the effective coverage of strategies and
interventions (including health promotion, primary and secondary
prevention, treatment, and care) geared at reducing child mortality;
improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB; and
ensuring environmental sustainability (through reduction in the use of
solid fuels and expansion in access to improved water and sanitation),
it is vitally important to ensure that they are implemented in a manner
that redresses the inequalities in various MDG indicators. Thus, it is
vital for countries to systematically monitor not only the changes in
various MDG indicators but also the inequalities across the various
income quintiles. In addition, at the regional and global levels, it is
necessary to set up mechanisms for rigorous monitoring of the
inequalities in the MDG indicators across the income groups of
countries. The lessons learnt from the monitoring processes should
inform the design and targeting of the various MDG-related policies,
strategies and interventions with a view to eradicating the
inequalities