Overview of WHO publications and products
The World Health Organization (WHO) compiles and publishes data on topics considered important for global public health. WHO publications and products include annual reports on the state of global health, journals and bulletins, statistical databases and public health regulations and guidelines. In collaboration with ministries of health and national statistical institutions, WHO collates data for each of its 193 member states and presents this data on a national, regional and global level. Australian health data are supplied to WHO by the AIHW, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing and other government organisations.
This page provides a brief overview of key WHO products, some of which include data provided by the AIHW. To access full versions of WHO publications and databases visit the WHO publications website or the WHO data and statistics website.
The country health information profile
Country health information profiles (CHIPS) are published annually by the Regional Office for the Western Pacific - WHO's representative body in the Western Pacific area (which includes Australia). With assistance from national health ministries and statistical agencies like the AIHW, WHO compiles a country profile and databank for each country in the Western Pacific region. The country profile contains background information on the national health system, outlines key health trends and provides a demographic, political and socioeconomic context. A country health databank is annexed to each country profile. The databank contains summary statistics including incidence rates and deaths from selected communicable and non-communicable diseases, child and maternal health indicators and health service expenditure and resources.
CHIPS are a useful resource for other United Nations agencies, international organisations, government agencies and the general public. The latest CHIPS are available from the Regional Office for the Western Pacific website.
The World Health Report
First published in 1995 and produced annually, the World Health Report is the WHO's leading publication. The main aim of the report is to provide countries, donor agencies, international organisations and other bodies with information that can inform policy and funding decisions. While each annual report focuses on a key public health concern (for example primary health care), the publication provides an assessment of global health as well as health-related statistics for all WHO member states. The WHO World Health Report is available on the WHO website.
The World Health Statistics Report
The World Health Statistics Report is an annual compilation of data from the 193 WHO member states. First published in 2005, the report provides a summary of progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals and covers mortality and burden of disease, selected infectious diseases, health service coverage, risk factors and health care expenditure. The latest World Health Statistics Report is available on the WHO website.
WHO databases
WHO compiles and updates a number of databases which are accessible to the general public.
- The WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS) is a database containing more than 70 core health indicators for each WHO member state. While these data are also published annually in the World Health Statistics Report, the WHOSIS database allows users to define tables and quickly search for relevant information.
- WHO Global InfoBase online is a data warehouse that collects, stores and displays information on chronic diseases and their risk factors for all WHO member states. Data can be accessed on a country basis or by selecting a chronic disease and multiple countries or regions.
- The Global Health Atlas provides standardised data and statistics for infectious diseases at a country, regional and global level. Additional data on demography, socioeconomic conditions and environmental factors are provided through this electronic platform.