The Global Self-Care Federation reveals that preventive self-care could boost economic and social
benefits by 50% by 2040, if supportive policies are implemented

Geneva, 20 July 2026 – The Global Self-Care Federation today launched its 2026 Report on the Value
of Self-Care in Prevention, which provides political and health system decision-makers with economic
evidence to inform better design of health systems. The data says that giving people the tools to manage their own health has already added 24 million high-quality years of life globally. The message to world leaders is clear: stop focusing on treating illnesses and start empowering people to prevent them.

Preventive self-care
Ed Petter, Chair of GSCF said, “Our new report shows that self-care plays a vital role in helping health
systems focus on prevention and achieve better health outcomes for individuals. Preventive self-care
delivers some of the highest-return value available to health systems and is easily accessible. Nonprescription
self-care products, like fluoride toothpaste, sunscreen or antifungals, reach people where
and when they need them, keeps people healthy, stops the development of diseases and improves
quality of life.”
“However, realising self-care’s potential will depend on supportive policies that strengthen health
literacy, ensure access to quality-assured non-prescription products, and integrate self-care into
universal health care strategies.” - he added.
The headline numbers show there has been some progress in the past four years. Self-care practices
now generate approximately $144 billion in savings, including avoidable physician visits and
prescription medicines, compared to $119 billion four years ago. And the number of productive days
achieved has risen from 40.8 billion to 43.6 billion.
Greg Perry, Director General of GSCF said, “There has been important progress in the past four years
but there is a still a lot more political leaders can do to encourage the use of self-care as a central
part of the strategy to move towards the promise of universal health coverage. One of the key
elements of that must be to encourage the use of self-care on all levels of prevention.”

Importance of self-care
All health systems face the same challenges from the combination of ageing populations, rising noncommunicable
diseases, tighter public budgets, and growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.
The policy question has shifted from how to cope, to how to redesign for more efficiency and better
resilience.
Greg Perry added, “The evidence is very clear: self-care strengthens systems, people and societies.
Responsible self-care is a measurable economic and social force generating health, social and
economic value at every income level. And we must harness its potential.”
The report shows that, with the right policies, the social and economic benefits of self-care could
increase by up to 50% by 2040. This makes self-care a strategic investment in health, equity and
system resilience.
Read the Global Social and Economic Value of Self-Care 2026 Report here.
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For more information, please contact:
Aleksandra Krol, Communications, Advocacy and Partnerships Manager
Email: akrol@selfcarefederation.org

About Self-Care
Self-care is “The ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease,
maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care
provider” (WHO).

About the Global Self-Care Federation
The Global Self-Care Federation represents associations and manufacturers in the self-care industry,
promoting sustainable and better global health outcomes for all. We serve as the global voice of the
self-care life sciences industry, investing in, innovating, and supplying key self-care management
interventions for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of numerous diseases and conditions.

Our focus is on evidence-based solutions that improve health outcomes and increase healthcare
system optimization.

The Global Social and Economic Value of Self-Care 2026 Report brings together a wide mix of real-world
data and economic modelling to show what self-care actually delivers in practice, and the
further benefits of preventive self-care. It draws on healthcare usage figures, productivity data and
quality-of-life measures to estimate important factors include cost savings, time saved for patients
and the wider economic impact of the propagation of self-care practices.