Investing in Health Equity: Why Strong ESG Strategies Help Build a Healthier, More Inclusive World

The report defines health equity as an outcome where every individual has the opportunity to achieve their full potential in health and well-being. It posits that health inequities are driven by non-medical factors—such as structural racism, poverty, and climate change—which in turn create significant economic losses in productivity and GDP. The document advocates for the use of ESG frameworks to standardize the measurement and reporting of health equity, citing a survey of 42 CXOs where 76% agreed that ESG is an effective strategy for this purpose. It highlights that while 52% of these leaders view health equity as a very high priority, integration is hindered by a lack of standardized measures and a clear financial business case.

• Health equity is defined as an outcome where every individual has the opportunity to achieve their full potential in all aspects of health and well-being, and is driven largely by non-medical factors. Research indicates that these drivers of health affect at least 50% of health status in populations.
• Health inequities result in substantial global economic losses. In the US, racial inequity is estimated to have cost $16 trillion in GDP over two decades, while health disparities cost the US $42 billion in lost productivity annually. In the European Union, health inequities are estimated to cost approximately 1.4% of GDP every year.
• A survey of 42 cross-industry CXOs conducted between November 2021 and March 2022 shows that 52% consider advancing health equity a very high priority for their company, and 76% agree that ESG is an effective strategy to advance it.
• The primary barriers preventing the integration of health equity into ESG strategies are a lack of standardized measurement (cited by 33% of surveyed leaders) and the absence of a clear financial or business case (cited by 31%).
• Climate change disproportionately affects marginalized populations and exacerbates health inequities. Climate-related events increased by 83% globally over the last 20 years, and people in poor countries are displaced by extreme weather at higher rates than those in wealthy countries.
• Specific corporate examples demonstrate different approaches to health equity: JPMorgan Chase invested $250 million in Morgan Health to improve workforce outcomes; ADP partnered with OneTen to hire 1 million Black people without four-year degrees; and Unilever focuses on living wages and diverse suppliers to address drivers of health.

APA

World Economic Forum (2022). Investing in Health Equity: Why Strong ESG Strategies Help Build a Healthier, More Inclusive World. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Investing_in_Health_Equity_2022.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Investing in Health Equity: Why Strong ESG Strategies Help Build a Healthier, More Inclusive World. 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Investing_in_Health_Equity_2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Investing in Health Equity: Why Strong ESG Strategies Help Build a Healthier, More Inclusive World |date=April 2022 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Investing_in_Health_Equity_2022.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2022investing, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Investing in Health Equity: Why Strong ESG Strategies Help Build a Healthier, More Inclusive World}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Investing_in_Health_Equity_2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }