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Socioeconomic inequalities, related to e.g. income, employment, education, as well as demographic differences, such as age or gender, are associated with unequal exposure to environmental risk factors.

They contribute to health inequities and most often put disadvantaged groups at significantly higher risk for environmental health effects. For example, in the European Union (EU) alone there are about 80 million people living in relative poverty. Many of these people live in damp homes, with insufficient heating and inadequate sanitary equipment. 

A WHO assessment shows that inequalities in environmental exposure exist in all countries across the Region and can reach extreme levels, with disadvantaged populations groups often being at least five times more exposed than advantaged groups.

The report describes the magnitude of environmental health inequalities in the European Region for selected environmental health risks (e.g. exposure to second hand smoke, housing conditions, injuries, noise, sanitation), and identifies country-specific priorities for national action.

In the Declaration of the 2010 Parma Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, countries committed to act on socioeconomic and gender inequalities in the human environment and health as one of the key environment and health challenges of our time. The WHO assessment supports this commitment and provides evidence on the current status of environmental health inequalities.

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