Foreword 3

Acknowledgements 4

Executive summary 8

1 Investing in NCD prevention is investing in social and economic prosperity 11

In Brief 12

NCDs reduce quality of life, productivity and economic growth 18

Identifying policy priorities allows resources to be directed effectively for maximum impact 21

Successful NCD strategies are based on three interconnected pillars 28

References 34

Notes 36

2 The growing NCD burden will escalate unless decisive action is taken 37

In Brief 38

Decades of effort have not yet turned the tide on NCDs 39

While some risk factors have improved, the health benefits are undermined by rising obesity

levels 40

Improvements in care mean people live longer with chronic conditions, increasing the burden on

the health system 45

Population ageing will continue to increase the NCD burden and associated healthcare cost 48

References 51

Annex 2.A. EU results 52

Annex 2.B. G20 results 54

3 NCDs reduce quality of life, productivity and economic growth 55

In Brief 56

NCDs reduce quality of life, cause depression and early death 57

NCDs increase health spending, reduce workforce productivity, and weaken economic growth 59

References 63

4 Focusing on key priorities maximises impact on health and the economy 64

In Brief 65

Addressing NCD risk factors can yield notable health and economic gains 67

Tackling obesity offers the greatest opportunity to reduce the NCD burden in the OECD and EU 69

Prevention delivers larger health and economic benefits than cure 71

All countries can achieve big results by focussing on one or two key priorities 75

Societal co-benefits further strengthen the case for action on NCD risk factors 77

Societal co-benefits further strengthen the case for action on NCD risk factors 77

References 79

Annex 4.A. EU results 80

Annex 4.B. G20 results 82

Annex 4.C. Country-level results 84

5 Effective NCD action requires an integrated approach across individuals,

environments, and health systems 89

In Brief 90

Empowering individuals through information and education 92

Creating environments that support healthier choices 94

Building responsive health systems 98

References 105

Annex A. Comparing OECD and WHO data on risk factors 108

References 110

Annex B. The OECD SPHeP NCDs model 111

References 113