How to achieve great health for all? Start in your city.

MHI estimates that a focus on immediately influenceable interventions at the city level can add approximately 20 billion to 25 billion years of higher-quality life at a global level.

At a glance

• The global population living in cities is projected to grow to about 70 percent by 2050. Large disparities in health outcomes within urban populations suggest that a city-level focus has significant potential to improve health.
• The McKinsey Health Institute (MHI) estimates that a focus on improving health at the city level can unlock 20 billion to 25 billion additional years of higher-quality life across cities globally (approximately five years per person living in urban areas). All organizations across sectors have a role to play to capture this opportunity.
• Immediately influenceable interventions, grounded in a rich existing evidence base, are a starting point to improve health at a city level. For example, interventions could add to residents’ healthy longevity and brain health, lessen the impacts of climate exposure, and improve health-worker capacity.