The continued global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across the One Health sectors is multifaceted, requiring the attention of a multitude of actors and stakeholders. Increased activities from global actors including the Quadripartite organizations (WHO, FAO, UNEP, and WOAH), the OECD, and the World Bank have sought to illuminate the continued challenges and act on the growing burden of AMR.

The IHME reported that, as of 2019, 1.27 million deaths were directly caused by bacterial AMR worldwide. At the regional level, the IHME estimated the all-age death rate attributable to resistance to be highest in western sub-Saharan Africa, at 27.3 deaths per 100,000 population (2). As for the European Economic Area (EEA), it was estimated that each year, more than 650,000 infections occur due to antibiotic resistant bacteria and more than 30,000 people die yearly as a result of these resistant infections (1). These negative health outcomes are estimated to cost the health sector more than €1 billion annually in EU/EEA countries alone (1). 

In response to a request from the Global Leaders Group, the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat undertook an economic analysis to better understand the costs of AMR and the associated benefits of the AMR response across different sectors. The aim of this work is to inform global, regional, and country action on AMR response and to mobilize appropriate resources.