Between 2015 and 2019, over 100 million hectares of healthy, productive land in 167 countries were degraded each year. Land degradation now threatens up to 40% of the world’s terrestrial ecosystems.
Regions such as Eastern and Southeastern Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean recorded above-average levels of degraded land, while Sub-Saharan Africa saw a particularly sharp increase—from 7.1% to 14.5%—surpassing the global average. A July 2025 policy brief from the UN highlights the growing health risks linked to desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD).
DLDD is a key driver of biodiversity loss, severe wildfires, and frequent sand and dust storms. Yet, its effects on human health remain under-discussed.
Health risks associated with DLDD
Emerging evidence shows that DLDD contributes to the spread of communicable diseases, especially arboviral infections, respiratory illnesses, and water- and foodborne diseases. Research also links DLDD to a range of non-communicable diseases, including bone disorders, cardiovascular conditions, cancers, heat-related illnesses, liver diseases, malnutrition, mental health disorders, and reproductive health issues.
Drought conditions were found to be significantly associated with malnutrition, particularly with both wasting and underweight prevalence. Drought conditions were found to contribute to an increase in a whole range of other issues, including a rise in skin and eye infections, elevated diarrhea risk among children under five, an increase in HIV infections, and the spread of zoonotic diseases.
Strong associations were found between exposure to long-term drought and elevated diarrhea risk, especially among children living in households that required a longer time to collect water or had no access to water or cleaning agents for handwashing. Girls are found to be more vulnerable to malnutrition than boys in drought settings.
Mental health disorders also increase during prolonged drought periods. Generalised anxiety disorder, exacerbated by the stress and uncertainty associated with droughts, is projected to cost health systems $198 billion by 2050.
Meanwhile, land-use changes are playing a significant role in the transmission of various diseases, including anthrax, and in the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases such as Ebola and COVID-19.
Land degradation contributes to a rise in soil-transmitted infections, airborne diseases, and skeletal and bone disorders due to contaminants entering the food chain or water supply.
There is also a notable link observed between land degradation and increased cases of cardiovascular conditions like hypertension, heart attacks, and strokes, as well as a higher risk of cancer and mental health disorders.
The UN’s July 2025 policy brief recommends integrating health priorities into land-use planning, environmental management, and agricultural policies. It calls for the development of frameworks and guidance documents that incorporate health considerations into drought action plans. The brief also emphasizes the importance of promoting gender equity in interventions, strengthening community resilience, enhancing capacity-building efforts, and investing in research. Additionally, it proposes expanding the scope of projects funded by existing environmental financing mechanisms to explicitly address health impacts in their programming documents, guidelines, and implementation processes.
