Summary
Highlights
Health is highly variable across individuals and populations. Factors like geography, socioeconomic status, and migration history significantly impact life expectancy and health outcomes.
Health is influenced by individual traits, health behaviors, and external conditions—including where we are born, live, work, and age. These factors, shaped by the distribution of power and resources, are collectively known as the social determinants of health.
The WHO categorizes these factors into structural determinants (socioeconomic and political contexts) and intermediary determinants (material, psychosocial, and behavioral circumstances), which together define a person's socioeconomic position and health outcomes.
The relationship between these determinants is complex and bidirectional. Addressing health inequities requires multisectoral action at local, national, and international levels, tailored to specific socioeconomic and political contexts.