New report on the economic impacts of antimicrobial resistance in humans

The Center for Global Development has published a new report from the EcoAMR series showing that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global health and economic stability. The report integrates human health burden projections with economic models to provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of AMR on global economies and health systems.

The key estimates of the report are:

1. The impact of antimicrobial resistance falls most heavily on low- and lower-middle-income countries. Antimicrobial resistance increases the cost of health care by US$ 66 billion, and this will rise to US$ 159 billion in our business as-usual scenario where resistance rates follow historical trends.
2. If resistance rates increased at the rate of the bottom 15% of countries, AMR health costs would rise to US$ 325 billion and the global economy would be US$ 1.7 trillion smaller in 2050 (compared to the business-as-usual scenario).
3. If high-quality treatment is provided to everyone with bacterial infections and funding innovative new antibiotics, this would mean that by 2050:
   • Health costs could be US$ 97 billion cheaper.
   • The economy could be US$ 990 billion larger.
   • Generated health benefits could be worth US$ 680 billion to countries.
4. Improving innovation and access to high-quality treatment would cost about US$ 63 billion per year, offering a global return on investment of 28:1.