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This goal is to ensure that everyone of all ages is healthy and can promote good well-being for themselves. The more important one to me is the health and well-being for children. Children's health care is more important to me because, they are the most vulnerable and are still learning a lot in life, unlike adults who know how to take care of themselves for the most part. But in all respect, everyone's health and well-being, no matter their age, is still important to everyone else.

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The pandemic and other ongoing crises are hindering progress in achieving SDG3, exacerbating existing health inequalities and threatening progress towards universal health coverage. As a result, 68 million children are known to be un- or under-vaccinated as of 2022 from TB and malaria increased. This has been particularly challenging in low- and middle-income countries, where health systems were already under-resourced before the pandemic. The pandemic has also highlighted the need for stronger global health security systems to prevent and respond to future pandemics. Overcoming these setbacks and dealing with longstanding shortcomings in health-care provision requires an urgent strengthening of health systems.

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Goal 3 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs

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Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

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This article outlines key health targets under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, aiming to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all by 2030. It emphasizes reducing maternal and child mortality, ending major epidemics, and improving access to essential healthcare services and medicines. The goals also include strengthening health systems, investing in healthcare workers, and addressing environmental and behavioral health risks. Achieving these objectives requires global cooperation, increased funding, and prioritizing health in national policies.

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Goal 3: Good health and well-being | Sustainable Development Goals | United Nations Development Programme

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We have made great progress against several leading causes of death and disease. Life expectancy has increased dramatically; infant and maternal mortality rates have declined, we’ve turned the tide on HIV and malaria deaths have halved. Good health is essential to sustainable development and the 20…

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Health disparities and social determinants of health

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Health disparities and social determinants of health

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Description: These are the differences in health outcomes between groups of people, often driven by factors like socioeconomic status, environment, and access to healthcare.

Impact: Health disparities lead to avoidable and unjust differences in health, with disadvantaged groups experiencing worse health outcomes and shorter lifespans.

Challenges: Addressing these disparities requires a holistic approach that goes beyond healthcare and addresses the root causes in areas like education, housing, and social justice.

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The challenge of health and healthcare for Africa

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The challenge of health and healthcare for Africa

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Article by Foreign Policy Centre

November 19, 2014

The article highlights how the Ebola crisis exposed long-standing failures in Africa’s healthcare systems, worsened by the mass migration of skilled professionals to wealthier nations. It criticizes African leaders for neglecting public health infrastructure while relying on expensive foreign care, leaving ordinary citizens with unsafe, informal healthcare options. Despite years of conferences and policy recommendations, little progress has been made, and urgent action is now needed. The author calls for bold investment, regulation, and engagement with the African healthcare diaspora to drive lasting transformation.

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The challenge of health and healthcare for Africa - The Foreign Policy Centre

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In many countries, the health indices and healthcare services can make or break those running for elections. This does not seem to be the case in Africa. According to facts compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Africa - Atlas of Health Statistics 2011, the life expectancy across the continent stands at 53. This expectancy rate is low compared to other global regions where the average is 68. In addition, 71% of communicable diseases are transmitted in Africa compared to a global average of 39.7%.

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Problems in achieving good health and well-being include lifestyle choices like poor diet and lack of exercise, environmental issues such as pollution and poor sanitation, and broader societal challenges like inadequate access to healthcare, mental health support, and economic stability. Many factors influence health, including access to quality food and clean water, the presence of disease, and the availability of safe and supportive social environments.

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Sustainable Development Goal 3 - Good Health and Well Being - Kristen Beek and Sophia Lin

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Sustainable Development Goal 3 - Good Health and Well Being - Kristen Beek and Sophia Lin

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Description:

Dr Kristen Beek and Dr Sophia Lin from the School of Population Health, UNSW, break down some of the key challenges behind the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 3. SDG3 aims to "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages". This video was produced by the EDDS Team of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Education portfolio in collaboration with UNSW Sustainability.

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Sustainable Development Goal 3 - Good Health and Well Being - Kristen Beek and Sophia Lin

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Description

Sustainable Development Goal 3 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to “ensure healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages”. TThe associated targets aim to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio; end preventable deaths of newborns and children; end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases; reduce mortality from non-communicable diseases; strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse; halve the number of deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents; ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services; achieve universal health coverage; and reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and pollution.

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Health and population | Department of Economic and Social Affairs

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Sustainable Development Goal 3 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is to “ensure healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages”. TThe associated targets aim to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio; end preventable deaths of newborns and children; end the epidemics of AI…

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Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Despite major progress in global health issues, such as reduced under-5 mortality and declining AIDS-related deaths, inequities in healthcare access remain a serious challenge, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Universal health coverage and stronger health systems are essential to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 by 2030. Declining childhood vaccination rates and rising cases of tuberculosis and malaria highlight the urgency of renewed investment and action. Individuals can contribute by making informed health choices, advocating for vulnerable groups, and holding leaders accountable for equitable healthcare.

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This article explores the complex concept of well-being and the challenges of measuring it meaningfully. While happiness and life satisfaction are commonly used indicators, they don’t fully capture the diverse factors that contribute to a good life, such as health, freedom, and personal values. Amartya Sen’s capability approach emphasizes real opportunities and achievements, arguing that well-being involves more than just feeling good—it includes the freedom to choose and act. The preference-based approach adds another layer, recognizing that individuals value different aspects of life and that well-being should reflect those personal priorities. Composite indicators like the Human Development Index attempt to simplify measurement but risk overlooking individual differences. Ultimately, the article suggests that selecting a measure of well-being depends on whether we prioritize simplicity, multidimensional accuracy, or respect for personal convictions.

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Opinions differ on the definition of well-being. Yet there's a growing consensus that it cannot be reduced to material consumption and that other aspects of life, such as health and good social relations, are essential to being well.

Increasing well-being is generally accepted as one of the essential components of social progress, but if different aspects of life all contribute to well-being, can or should we construct an overall measure of it? For example, is "happiness" a good measure?

Before we can begin to monitor social progress in terms of well-being, we need more clarity on the concept itself.

Measuring happiness

One possibility is to use large opinion surveys in which individuals answer simple questions on their degree of happiness or life satisfaction. These have revealed robust patterns, confirming that economic growth has a weaker than expected effect on satisfaction, and that other aspects of life, such as health and unemployment, are important.

These simple survey measures seem credible. But according to psychologists, happiness and life satisfaction do not coincide. Life satisfaction has a cognitive component - individuals have to step back to assess their lives - while happiness reflects positive and negative emotions that fluctuate.

A focus on positive and negative emotions can lead to understanding well-being in an "hedonic" way, based in pleasure and the absence of pain. Looking instead to individuals' judgements about what is worth seeking suggests a preference-based approach (a possibility we discuss below). People judge all sorts of different things to be worth seeking.

In other words, happiness may be an element in evaluating one's well-being, but it is not the only one.

Michael Kooren/Reuters

The capability approach

Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen has pointed out that understanding well-being on the basis of feelings of satisfaction, pleasure, or happiness have two problems.

The first he calls "physical-condition neglect". Human beings adapt at least partially to unfavourable situations, meaning the poor and the sick can still be relatively happy. One striking study by a team of Belgian and French physicians has shown that even in a cohort of patients with chronic locked-in syndrome, a majority reported being happy.

The second problem is "valuation neglect". Valuing a life is a reflective activity that should not be reduced to feeling happy or unhappy. Of course, Sen admits, "it would be odd to claim that a person broken down by pain and misery is doing very well".

We should therefore not fully neglect the importance of feeling well, but also acknowledge it is not the only thing people care about.

Together with Martha Nussbaum, Sen formulated an alternative: the capability approach, which stipulates that both personal characteristics and social circumstances affect what people can achieve with a given amount of resources.

Giving books to a person who cannot read does not increase their well-being (probably the opposite), just as providing them with a car does not increase mobility if there are no decent roads.

According to Sen, what the person manages to do or to be - such as being well-nourished or being able to appear in public without shame - are what really matter for well-being. Sen calls these achievements the "functionings" of the person. However, he further claims that defining well-being only in terms of functioning is insufficient, because well-being also includes freedom.

His classic example involves the comparison between two undernourished individuals. The first person is poor and cannot afford food; the second is wealthy but chooses to fast for religious reasons. While they achieve the same level of nourishment, they cannot be said to enjoy the same level of well-being.

Therefore, Sen suggests that well-being should be understood in terms of people's real opportunities - that is, all possible combinations of functionings from which they can choose.

The capability approach is inherently multidimensional; but those seeking to guide policy often think that rationally dealing with trade-offs requires having one single ultimate measure. Adherents of the capability approach who succumb to this thought often mistrust individual preferences and apply instead a set of indicators that are common to all individuals.

So-called "composite indicators" - like the United Nations' Human Development Index, which adds together consumption, life expectancy and educational performance at the country level - are a frequent outcome of this kind of thinking. They have become popular in policy circles, but they fall victim to simply adding up scores on different dimensions, all deemed equally important.

Jitendra Prakash/Reuters

Taking individual convictions seriously

Beyond the subjective approach and the capability approach, a third perspective - the preference-based approach to well-being - takes into account that people disagree about the relative importance of different life dimensions.

Some people think that hard work is necessary to have a valuable life while others prefer to spend more time with family. Some think that going out with friends is key, while others prefer reading a book in a quiet place.

The "preference-based" perspective starts from the idea that people are better off when their reality matches better what they themselves consider to be important.

Preferences thus have a cognitive "valuational" component: they reflect people's well-informed and well-considered ideas about what a good life is, not merely their market behaviour.

This does not coincide with subjective life satisfaction. Recall the example of patients with the locked-in syndrome reporting high levels of satisfaction because they have adapted to their situation. This does not mean that they would not prefer to have their health back - and it certainly does not mean that citizens without locked-in syndrome would not mind falling ill with it.

Jorge Cabrera/Reuters

One example of a preference-based measure, advocated by the French economist Marc Fleurbaey, directs people to choose reference values for all non-income aspects of life (such as health or number of hours worked). These reference values will depend on the individual: everyone probably agrees that not being ill is the best possible state, but a workaholic lawyer is likely to place a very different value on work hours than someone with an arduous and hazardous factory job.

Fleurbaey then suggests that people define a salary that, combined with the non-income-based reference value, would satisfy the individual as much as their current situation.

The amount by which this "equivalent income" differs from the person's actual work-based income can help answer the question: "How much income you would be willing to give up for better health or more free time?"

Some psychologists are sceptical about preference-based approaches because they assume that human beings have well-informed and well-considered ideas about what makes a good life. Even if such rational preferences exist, one struggles to measure them because these are aspects of life - family time, health - that are not traded on markets.

Does all this matter in practice?

The following table, compiled by the Belgian economists Koen Decancq and Erik Schokkaert, shows how differing approaches to well-being can have practical consequences.

It ranks 18 European countries in 2010 (just after the financial crisis) according to three possible measures: average income, average life satisfaction and average "equivalent income" (taking into account health, unemployment, safety and the quality of social interactions).

Some results are striking. Danes are much more satisfied than they are wealthy, while France is the opposite. These large divergences are not seen when comparing equivalent incomes, however, which suggests that satisfaction in these two countries is heavily influenced by cultural differences.

Germany and the Netherlands also do worse on satisfaction than on income, but their equivalent income rankings confirm that they do relatively worse on the non-income dimensions.

Greece has a remarkably low level of life satisfaction. Cultural factors may play a role here, but Greece is also characterised by high income inequality, which is not captured by the averages in the table.

These differences among various measures of well-being hint at the important issues involved in deciding which measure of well-being - if any - to select. If we want to use the measure to rank nations' performance at providing well-being, then we will be pulled towards a single, simple measure, such as subjective happiness. If we seek to keep track, for policy purposes, of whether individuals are doing well in the respects that really matter, we will be pulled towards a more multi-dimensional assessment, such as that offered by the capability approach. And if we are most impressed by disagreement among individuals as to what matters, we will have reason to understand well-being along the lines suggested by the preference-based approach.

This post belongs to a series of contributions coming from the International Panel on Social Progress, a global academic initiative of more than 300 scholars from all social sciences and the humanities who prepare a report on the perspectives for social progress in the 21st Century. In partnership with The Conversation, the posts offer a glimpse of the contents of the report and of the authors' research.

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Opinions differ on the definition of well-being. Yet there's a growing consensus that it cannot be reduced to material consumption and that other aspects of life, such as health and good social relations, are essential to being well.

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SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

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SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

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This passage outlines key global health targets under SDG Goal 3, emphasizing the urgent need to reduce maternal and child mortality, end epidemics, and achieve universal health coverage by 2030. It highlights persistent gender disparities that limit women’s access to healthcare, especially in low-resource settings. Every day, 830 women die from preventable pregnancy and childbirth complications, underscoring the need for better reproductive health services and protections. Achieving these goals requires stronger health systems, increased funding, and a commitment to equity and human rights.

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Targets

By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.

By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.

Women and men have different health-care needs, but an equal right to live healthily. For many women and girls, however, gender discrimination systematically undermines their access to health care, for reasons that include fewer financial resources and constraints on mobility.

This is compounded by additional burdens imposed by gender disparities which limit their ability to stay healthy. These include long hours spent on domestic work, unsafe work environments and gender-based violence, with mechanisms for prevention and protection often inadequate.

Pregnancy and childbirth pose particular risks. Every day, 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth around the world. Globally, that amounted to about 303,000 women in 2015.

Learn more: Stronger collaboration for an equitable and resilient recovery towards the health-related SDGs, incentivizing collaboration

UN Women acts to advance women's well-being and health by working with governments to improve health services for women and girls, including survivors of violence, and backing non-governmental partners in filling gaps. We strive to end practices that put women and girls in danger, such as child marriage, and support efforts to end discriminatory laws and practices impeding women's access to sexual and reproductive health-care services.

Stories

From where I stand: Chum Sopha
Chum Sopha was 27 when she tested HIV positive, following a major HIV outbreak in her village in Cambodia. With UN Women's support, Sopha, along with other HIV positive women established a support group, which helped her fight discrimination. Today, she is hopeful and confident of living a fully functioning life.

Maternal health gets a new boost in Liberia
With 1,072 maternal deaths for every 100,000 births, Liberia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. In the remote areas, infrastructure and facilities are often lacking, and midwives and health workers deliver babies without any electricity at night. With the installation of solar lighting systems by UN Women and partners, conditions have improved in 26 clinics and five newly constructed Maternal Waiting Rooms.

Living with HIV and violence: Women of Ukraine speak out and build solidarity
In Ukraine, 35 per cent of women living with HIV have experienced violence since the age of 15, and lack of awareness, shelters and support services pose additional challenges for them. A UN Women-supported initiative is bringing awareness and new beginnings for HIV-positive women survivors of violence, in addition to helping them improve their health and quality of life.

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SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

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How can women help ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages?

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A selection of Ted talks to understand about global health and what can be done. The third sustainable development goal for 2030.

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A selection of Ted talks to understand about global health and what can be done. The third sustainable development goal for 2030.

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A selection of Ted talks to understand about global health and what can be done. The third sustainable development goal for 2030.

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2030- SDG 3- Good Health and Well-being- Ted talks

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How can universal health coverage be expanded in low-income countries to reduce preventable deaths and improve overall well-being by 2030?

Expanding universal health coverage (UHC) in low-income countries requires a multifaceted approach that strengthens health systems, ensures equitable access, and prioritizes sustainable financing. Governments must invest in recruiting, training, and retaining healthcare workers, especially in underserved areas, while improving infrastructure and supply chains for essential medicines and vaccines. Policies should focus on removing financial barriers to care such as user fees and integrating services like maternal, child, and reproductive health into national strategies. Community engagement and education are vital to build trust and encourage preventive care, especially among vulnerable populations. International partnerships, innovative technologies, and data-driven planning can accelerate progress toward achieving UHC and reducing preventable deaths by 2030.

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Ensuring good health and well-being for all is central to sustainable development and economic prosperity. While progress has been made in reducing child and maternal mortality and combating infectious diseases, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted health systems and slowed global improvements. Millions still lack access to essential health services, and disparities in care, especially in low-income regions remain a major challenge. Achieving SDG Goal 3 by 2030 requires stronger investment in healthcare infrastructure, universal coverage, and targeted efforts to protect vulnerable populations. Individual actions like promoting healthy lifestyles and holding leaders accountable also play a vital role in driving change.

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SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-Being - AI for Good Foundation

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Ensuring good healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Learn more…

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How can we improve on achieving this goal of Good Health and Well-Being globally?

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How can we improve on achieving this goal of Good Health and Well-Being globally?

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Improving global health and well-being requires bold, coordinated action across multiple fronts:

Strengthen Health Systems

Invest in healthcare infrastructure, especially in low-income regions, to ensure access to clinics, hospitals, and trained professionals.

Expand universal health coverage to protect people from financial hardship when seeking care.

Prioritize Preventive Care

Increase funding for immunization programs, sanitation, and nutrition to prevent disease before it starts.

Promote mental health services and substance abuse prevention as core components of public health.

Support the Health Workforce

Recruit, train, and retain healthcare workers, especially in underserved areas.

Improve working conditions and compensation to reduce brain drain from developing countries.

Use Data and Innovation

Leverage technology for telemedicine, early disease detection, and health education.

Monitor progress using reliable data to guide policy and respond quickly to emerging threats.

Empower Communities

Educate the public about healthy lifestyles and their rights to quality care.

Hold governments and leaders accountable for health commitments and equitable service delivery.

Together, these efforts can build resilient systems and ensure that health is treated not just as a service—but as a human right. Want help turning this into a speech or campaign message?

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Subjective Well-Being in Cancer Patients: The Roles of Social Support, Purpose in Life, Resilience, and Informativeness

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Subjective Well-Being in Cancer Patients: The Roles of Social Support, Purpose in Life, Resilience, and Informativeness

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Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive and negative experiences, and prosperity) and various psychosocial factors (social support received from family members and partners, purpose in life, resilience and information) in cancer patients and to examine the possibility of predicting components of subjective well-being based on these mentioned factors in cancer patients. A total of 338 adult cancer patients from Croatia participated in the study (41.1% male and 58.9% female). To measure the constructs, the Diener Subjective Well-Being Scale, the Social Support Scale at work and in the family, the Purpose in Life Scale, the Short Resilience Scale, and the EORTC-QLQ information questionnaire were used. Results showed a high level of life satisfaction and prosperity, as well as more frequent positive compared to negative experiences. A medium to high level of social support received from family members and from the partner was determined. High levels of purpose in life and medium levels of resilience and information were found. A high correlation was found among the components of the construct of subjective well-being, and a low to medium correlation among the predictors. Positive associations were found between the criteria of life satisfaction and prosperity with psychosocial factors. Negative associations were established between the positive/negative experience variables and the factors. Furthermore, the purpose in life was determined as an important predictor of all three components of subjective well-being, social support (both sources) as important for predicting life satisfaction, resilience for experiencing positive and negative experiences, and social family support for predicting the prosperity of cancer patients.

Keywords: cancer, subjective well-being, social support, resilience, prosperity, informativeness

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Subjective Well-Being in Cancer Patients: The Roles of Social Support, Purpose in Life, Resilience, and Informativeness

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The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive and negative experiences, and prosperity) and various psychosocial factors (social support received from family members and…

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How do gender disparities in access to healthcare affect progress toward achieving Good Health and Well-Being in low-income countries?

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How do gender disparities in access to healthcare affect progress toward achieving Good Health and Well-Being in low-income countries?

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Gender disparities in access to healthcare significantly hinder progress toward achieving Good Health and Well-Being in low-income countries. Women and girls often face systemic barriers such as limited financial resources, restricted mobility, and cultural norms that deprioritize their health needs. These challenges lead to higher rates of preventable deaths from pregnancy and childbirth, limited access to reproductive services, and increased vulnerability to diseases like HIV. When half the population cannot fully access or benefit from healthcare systems, national health outcomes suffer, and Sustainable Development Goal 3 becomes harder to achieve. Addressing these disparities is essential not only for equity but also for building resilient, inclusive health systems that serve everyone.

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Health Promotion for Well-being, Health Promotion for Well-being, Equity and Sustainable Development

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Health Promotion for Well-being, Health Promotion for Well-being, Equity and Sustainable Development

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COVID-19 has cost the world dearly, but it has also given us a chance to change the path that we’re on and create the future we want. Health and well-being should be factored into everything, both globally and locally, because we all need healthy environments in which to live, learn, work and play.

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Health Promotion for Well-being, Equity and Sustainable Development