A recent study outlined in the Harvard Business Review says that the effects of poor health on productivity reduces the world gross domestic product (GDP) by about 15 percent every year. The report, produced by the McKinsey Global Institute, relied on population and labor force forecasts to 2040 and incorporated the impact of health improvements by age group each year. Improvements in population health were then translated into labor force participation and labor productivity as well as GDP through four channels: fewer premature deaths; lower rates of disability among the potential labor force; higher labor market participation among healthier older people, informal caregivers, and people with disabilities; and higher productivity of a healthier workforce.

The report found that premature death and poor health in general cost the global economy an average of 43 days per person, and that chronic conditions erode global productivity by 5 percent, translating into the aforementioned 15 percent GDP loss.

The report noted that improvements in public health in the past (e.g., sanitation, vaccines) are estimated to have been the cause for about one third of economic growth in advanced economies over the past century, and it argued that further improvements could have a similar effect. It said that better health could wind up adding $12 trillion to global GDP in the year 2040, translating into 0.4 percent faster growth every single year. All told, it said that for every one dollar invested in public health, the return could be between two to four dollars. To illustrate, the report asked readers to imagine a 65-year-old in 2040 being as healthy as a 55-year-old today, something which would have broad social benefits.