Socioeconomic inequality and corruption as determinants of antibiotic access and AMR burden

Background

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health threat that evolves unevenly across countries. Many low- and middle-income countries struggle

to implement medical treatment guidelines and antibiotic stewardship programs. We argue that socioeconomic inequality, poor governance and

widespread corruption may thwart access to appropriate antibiotics and rational use based on medical need. This may help explain poor national

AMR outcomes. We assemble the largest global dataset to date, spanning 204 countries over three decades, to investigate how inequality and

corruption affect antibiotic use and AMR-associated mortality.

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