Developing countries account for 84 percent of world population and 93 perc
ent of the worldwide burden of disease; however, they account for only 18 p
ercent of global income and 11 percent of global health spending. Limited r
esources and administrative capacity coupled with strong underlying needs f
or services pose serious challenges to governments in the developing world.
This paper analyzes health spending, health outcomes, and health delivery
system characteristics for the six developing regions of the world as well
as for low-, medium-, and high-income country groupings.