As markets fluctuate and the fear of a global recession grows amidst Trump’s tariff offensive, businesses and policymakers face tough financial and strategy decisions. Yet even with these pressures, long-term prosperity is within reach – if we align budgets with smart investments that prioritize people, the planet, and productivity.
The key lies in data-based decision-making. WifOR Institute’s research proves that investing in health drives economic growth. In the case of sustainability, our country and sector benchmarks help companies mitigate risks and secure their competitiveness. And as labor shortages increase, looking into the availability of workers in key industries can ensure the successful execution of projects.
WifOR’s latest research highlights how prioritizing health, sustainability, and skilled labor can secure future growth in a shifting global economy.
Best wishes,
Preventing cancer drives instant economic benefits – a publication by WifOR Institute and Harvard University
Countries investing in cancer prevention see direct positive impacts in their economy – from created value to supported jobs. This is the core idea of our new publication shared in The Lancet Group’s eClinicalMedicine journal.
The analysis, conducted by WifOR Institute colleagues in collaboration with our scientific partner Prof.Rifat Atun from Harvard University, underscores the impact of HPV vaccination for boosting economic growth in four Commonwealth countries (India, the UK, Nigeria, and Malaysia). Moreover, it measures the size and importance of the Health Economy as driver of welfare in these nations.
One example: Our findings show that every USD 1 invested in HPV vaccination stimulated almost USD 2 of GDP in the UK in short-term economic effects in 2022. The data proves clearly that health investments go beyond well-being – they are a catalyst for economic progress and sustainable development.
Commissioners’ Meeting from the Lancet Oncology Commission on Cancer in the Commonwealth
The Health Economy as growth motor – new facts and figures
The health sector not only improves lives, but also boosts employment and value creation, including ripple effects across other branches of the economy.
The latest data for Germany and Europe can be found in the interactive dashboard that WifOR Institute developed for the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. The figures show that the Health Economy is resilient even when the overall economy displays signs of weakness. While the total German economy grew an average of 4.0% per year between 2015 and 2024, the Health Economy outpaced it (4.9% annual growth).
Reducing risks and improving impacts with Country and Sector Benchmarks
As the Health Economy continues to prove its resilience, benchmark data offers further insights into its broader societal and environmental performance.
For every €1 of GDP, the health sector accounts for just 21 cents in environmental and 9 cents in social externalities –almost half the impact generated by the consumer goods industry. Beyond economic strength, this positions healthcare as a positive example of sustainable development.
These insights are part of the new Country and Sector Benchmarks developed by WifOR Institute and the Value Balancing Alliance. The benchmarks provide a data foundation to assess and compare sustainability performance across industries and geographies. By putting financial, social, and environmental impacts in context, they help organizations align with regulations, identify shared risks, and uncover opportunities for collaboration.
Such information is increasingly vital for investors and decision-makers aiming to future-proof strategies in an evolving, interconnected landscape. Transparent, comparable data enables informed conversations and impact-driven measures.
Modernizing residential buildings, transitioning to green energy, improving critical infrastructure: A more stable economic future – and one that is less prone to be affected by financial volatility – also depends on the skilled workforce executing key transformation projects. Nevertheless, labor shortages can pose a risk to these plans.
This is why WifOR is working together with the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung in a series of studies to understand the vital role of the labor market in these projects and propose solutions to personnel deficits.
In Germany, for example, modernizing housing and improving its energy efficiency to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 would require up to 450,000 skilled workers. For governments and companies, this means taking measures such as up- and reskilling existing employees to ensure transformation plans can be implemented.
