In 2025, journals within the Journal of Global Health (JoGH) group published a broad and policy-relevant body of work addressing health financing, economic evaluation, health system resilience, and the social determinants of health. Several papers focused on universal health coverage and financing reforms, including analyses of health financing transitions across the WHO African Region and the impact of major international investments on mortality among women of reproductive age. Other studies examined national policy initiatives, such as Ghana’s maternal fee exemption programme, long-term prescription policies in China, and pooled procurement of medicines, highlighting how financing and policy design can shape access, utilisation, and financial protection.

Economic burden and cost-effectiveness analyses were a major theme throughout the year. A series of studies assessed the economic impact of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and acute respiratory infections in children across Mozambique, Nigeria, and Nepal, alongside evaluations of maternal vaccines and monoclonal antibody strategies. Additional work examined the costs of myopia management, influenza vaccination in high-risk populations, preventive COVID-19 interventions, and hospitalisation for pneumonia. These contributions reinforced the importance of robust economic evidence in guiding prioritisation decisions, especially in resource-constrained settings.

Health system performance, preparedness, and data-driven approaches also featured prominently. Studies assessed disruptions to chronic care during the pandemic, pandemic preparedness frameworks, and the integration of human and animal health data for early response. Other papers explored innovations such as artificial intelligence for well-being assessment, the use of health information systems to strengthen oxygen delivery, and screening tools for modern slavery. Research on food insecurity, environmental exposures, green spaces, and adolescent chronic disease care highlighted the growing recognition of social and environmental determinants of health.

Finally, several studies examined broader population health trends and structural drivers of disease. These included analyses of stillbirth and infant mortality trends, liver cancer burden, chronic disease multimorbidity, and the influence of global e-commerce on dietary health. Work on genetic screening ethics, climate-related maternal and child health risks, and stress reduction through nature exposure reflected the expanding scope of global health economics and policy research. Together, these contributions illustrate a field increasingly focused on equity, prevention, system resilience, and the efficient allocation of scarce resources.

Below, we present our selection of these contributions, listed alphabetically by the surname of the first author:

  • Afriyie DO, Muhongerwa DK, Nabyonga-Orem J, Chukwujekwu O. Countdown to 2030: overview of current and planned health financing reforms for universal health coverage in the WHO African Region. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04233.

  • Ahsan KZ, Angeles G, Choudhury A, Singh K, Taylor TM, Majid F, et al. Accounting for aid: estimating the impact of United States’ global health investments on mortality among women of reproductive age using synthetic control and Bayesian methods. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04067.

  • Chen SX, Yang ZK, Lin L, Liao HZ, Xiang XT, Liu D, et al. Emergency planned re-infusion therapy and hospitalisation for community-acquired pneumonia: a retrospective case-control study. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04044.

  • de Milliano TW, Shi-van Wielink K, Ernst F, Mulkalapalli N, Pagidigummula R, Lymperopoulou C. Economic evaluation, resource utilisation, and associated economic burden of myopia management: a systematic literature review. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04322.

  • Domingo DGC, Chen TY, Cruz G, Mgabhi PS, Lim KL, Mandiwa C, et al. Food insecurity and sleep deficiency among older Filipinos: the mediating roles of depressive symptoms and frailty phenotypes. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04235.

  • Hu Y, Jia M, Jiang Y, Zhao R, Su S. Balancing strategies in vaccination and mask-wearing for Chinese medical staff in post-COVID-19 era: a modelling study and cost-effectiveness analysis. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04283.

  • Kabudula CW, Sibanda M, Price J, Du Toit J, Masilela N, Kahn K, et al. Changes in the provision and utilisation of health care services for chronic health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic in rural northeast South Africa: an interrupted time series analysis. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04022.

  • Li D, Li Z, Zhang W, Ge H, Su M, Guo X. Association of parental favouritism in childhood and depression in old age: a longitudinal survey. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04343.

  • Malik BK, Goyal AK, Maiti S, Mohanty SK. Care cascades of diabetes and hypertension among late adolescents in India. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04101.

  • Maugeri A, Barchitta M, Schillaci G, Agodi A. Spatial patterns and temporal trends in stillbirth, neonatal, and infant mortality: an exploration of country-level data from 2000 to 2021. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04034.

  • Moore PJ, Vera Cruz G, Maurice T, Rohrbeck CA, Khazaal Y, Goodman FR. Using Artificial Intelligence to assess the impact of social, physical, and financial health and personality on subjective well-being in a representative, multinational sample of older European and Israeli adults. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04179.

  • N Varadarajulu R, Cartujano B, Sivakanthan A, Patel J, Cohenmehr E, Bodic M. Combating Modern Slavery: Creating an Anti-Human Trafficking Screening Tool – A Systematic Review. JoGHNP. Published online April 15, 2025:0012025-0012025.

  • Ng WL, Tse ETY, Oka P, Lim HM, Koh SWC, Ramli R, et al. HLA-B*58:01 screening in Asia-Pacific is an ethical imperative - not just a cost question. J Glob Health. 2025;15:03037.

  • Osei KM, Awog-Badek AA, Prasiska DI, Chapagain DD, Ha MJ. Impact of Ghana’s fee exemption policy on maternal health service utilisation: an inverse probability of treatment weighting analysis of pooled national data. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04058.

  • Quan S, Zhang H. E-Commerce and global dietary health: a longitudinal analysis of food availability and imports pathways across 64 countries (2008-2022). J Glob Health. 2025;15:04287.

  • Rave N, Mussá T, Nguyen A, Pecenka C, Shaaban FL, Bont LJ. Estimating the economic burden of respiratory syncytial virus infection among children <2 years old receiving care in Maputo, Mozambique. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04076.

  • Rave N, Sharma AK, Chapagain RH, Nguyen A, Pecenka C, Shaaban FL, et al. Cost-effectiveness of introducing a maternal vaccine or long-acting monoclonal antibody to prevent infant respiratory syncytial virus disease in Nepal. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04292.

  • Rave N, Sharma AK, Chapagain RH, Shrestha R, Nguyen A, Pecenka C, et al. Assessing the cost of illness of RSV and non-RSV acute respiratory infections in Nepali children. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04092.

  • Saidu Y, Mbanga C, Andinwoh N, Frambo A, Diaby O, Ajeh R, et al. The impact of integrating medical oxygen indicators into DHIS-2 on the reporting of hypoxaemia diagnosis and management: the case of Cameroon. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04088.

  • Saidu Y, Mbanga C, Mokom S, Frambo A, Diaby O, Battu A, et al. Building medical oxygen systems in a resource-limited setting: the case of Cameroon. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04087.

  • Shaaban FL, Garba MA, Nguyen A, Pecenka C, Rave N, Bont LJ. Estimating the economic burden of respiratory syncytial virus infection among children <2 years old seeking care in North-West Nigeria. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04307.

  • Strong J, Barrett R, Surtee Z, O’Hare M, Conway F, Portela A. Interventions to reduce the effects of air pollution and of extreme heat on maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes: a mapping of the literature. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04035.

  • Tang X, Sun S, Memedi M, Hiyoshi A, Montgomery S, Cao Y. Cost-effectiveness of preventive COVID-19 interventions: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of comparative economic evaluation studies based on real-world data. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04017.

  • Tomasso LP, Białowolski P, Spengler JD. Stress reduction from landscape painting and live nature viewing: a comparative experimental study. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04146.

  • Tran BX, Joarder T, Pang VJ, Carballo CM, Thi Do H, Nguyen CT, et al. Pandemic preparedness in Vietnam: a review of health system resilience and areas for improvement. J Glob Health. 2025;15:03001.

  • Tran BX, Vu HN, Duong DB, Boyer L, Long TH, Nguyen DC, et al. Enhancing human and animal health data integration and informed actions for pandemic preparedness at the primary healthcare level: a multisectoral conceptual framework. J Glob Health. 2025;15:03018.

  • Wang S, Sun J, Xu Z, Di Tanna GL, Chen M, Downey LE, et al. Residential greenspace and multiple chronic health conditions in China: a cross-sectional study. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04218.

  • Xu X, Guo L, Li X, Wang X, Li Y. Incidence and costs of hospitalisation due to acute respiratory infection in adults aged over 50 years in Jiangsu, China in 2019-23: a real-world medical database analysis of 0.2 million episodes. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04116.

  • Yao X, Ling X, Zhu Z, Cao X, Tang S. Temporal trends of liver cancer burden, comparative analysis of risk factors and trend forecasts to 2024 in China, USA, the Republic of Korea, and Mongolia: an analysis based on multiple data sources from Global Burden of Disease 2019, the Global Cancer Observatory, and Cancer Incidence in Five Continents. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04040.

  • Yu C, Zhang L, Zhang L, Chen W. The impact of long-term prescription policy on primary care utilisation and costs among hypertensive patients in China: a six-year longitudinal study. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04021.

  • Zhang P, Zhang M, Ma R, Wei J, Bao Y, Zhang L, et al. Characteristics of indications, clinical trial evidence, clinical benefits and the costs of price-negotiated multi-indication drugs for solid tumours in China. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04121.

  • Zhao B, Wu J, Cheng Z, Feng XL. Impact of pooled procurement of medicines on patient adherence and economic burden: evidence from China. J Glob Health. 2025;15:04229.

We hope that readers of JoGH Economics and Policy will find these studies valuable for informing research, policy, and practice across diverse global contexts.