The GSCF Socio-Economic Study

At the start of WHO’s International Self-Care month on 24th June, GSCF is proud to launch its Global Social and Economic Value of Self-Care study demonstrating that current self-care practices deliver significant economic savings and quality of life improvements:

• savings of nearly $120 billion each year for global healthcare systems and, therefore, national economies
• savings of 40.8 billion productive days for both health practitioners and individuals, which translates to an average of 11.83 work days per person per year. It corresponds to a value of $1,879 billion in welfare effects 
• gain of 22 million quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), the standard measurement for the value of health outcomes

This is the first global research project analysing the worldwide value and impact of self-care, across 155 countries. Importantly, it is the first study to include data from low- and middle-income countries, providing a unique global perspective.