Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – the ability of microbes to resist antimicrobial agents – is one of the greatest public health threats globally, with far-reaching social, economic and health consequences for people, animals and the environment.

This report builds on the 2018 OECD report Stemming the Superbug Tide: Just a Few Dollars More. It demonstrates that in the absence of stronger One Health action – targeting people, animals, agri-food systems and the environment – AMR levels will remain unacceptably high for at least the next 25 years. Resistant infections will claim the lives of thousands of people in OECD and EU/EEA countries every year and exert additional pressure on hospital resources that are already strained from the COVID‑19 pandemic. The cost to health systems and economies will continue to mount.

The report demonstrates that tackling AMR is an excellent investment by looking at the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of 11 One Health policy interventions and three policy packages to reduce the deleterious impacts of AMR. The report highlights the following key insights.