Ivory Coast faces multiple health challenges, caused by factors including malaria, lack of access to medicine, and healthcare staffing shortages.
As of 2020[update], the Human Rights Measurement Initiative has found that Ivory Coast is fulfilling 56.2% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income.[1][2] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Ivory Coast was found to provide 79.9% of what is expected based on its current income; amongst the adult population the country achieves only 62%.[3][4] In terms of reproductive healthcare, the nation was found to meet 26.6% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.[5]
In the same year, the CIA World Factbook estimated that Ivory Coast spent 3.3% of its GDP on healthcare, and, as of 2019[update], that there were .016 physicians per 1,000 people.[6]
As of 2023[update], life expectancy in Ivory Coast is estimated to be 60.5 years for men and 65 years for women.[6]
In Ivory Coast, malaria is the leading cause of mortality among children and continues to be the top reason for medical consultations and hospitalizations.[7] Health facilities reported approximately 2.3 million presumed and confirmed malaria cases in 2015[update].[7] Malaria is endemic throughout Ivory Coast the entire year, with peaks during the rainy season.[7]
Ivory Coast aims to reduce malaria deaths by increasing the proportion of the population sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito net, of pregnant women taking sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine, and of cases that get treated in accordance with national guidelines.[7] The strategy includes an emphasis on introducing an integrated approach to community interventions (malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea) and a more participative and inclusive role for the private sector in combating malaria.[7]
As of 2022[update], UNAIDS has estimated that 410,000 Ivorians live with HIV, and that the HIV prevalence rate for adults aged 15-29 is approximately 1.8%.
The 2020[update] maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births for Ivory Coast was 480; as of 2023[update] the mortality rate for infants was 54 out of every 1,000.[6] In 2021, the UN estimated that there were 2.2 midwives for every 10,000 people.[8]
The FGM/C Research Initiative has estimated that 36.7% of Ivorian women between the ages of 15 and 49 have undergone female genital mutilation (as of 2016[update]); it also estimates that 79.4% of the same population opposes the practice. The initiative has also noted a downward trend in the rate of female genital mutilation.[9]
Hunger is also a problem Ivory Coast faces, and it contributes to many diseases. The country's National Development Plan, established in 2016[update], has sought to develop the economy and has led to drops in food insecurity, though as of 2018[update] it was estimated that 10.8% of the country still experienced food insecurity. However, malnutrition and its comorbidities do persist, particularly in woman-headed and agricultural households. Many factors contribute to hunger, including climate shocks and lack of access to agricultural resources (particularly for food crop farmers).[10]
There were 1,792 medical facilities in Ivory Coast in 2019[update].[11]