This publication is about 24 developing countries that have embarked on the long journey toward universal health coverage (UHC) following a bottom-up approach, with a special focus on the poor and vulnerable. The publication documents and analyses the experiences of these countries based on a systematic data collection effort that sought to capture in great detail how they are implementing UHC.

The 24 countries were selected for their significant efforts of the past decade or so to expand coverage of health care services while keeping a special focus on the poor and having the overarching objective of attaining UHC. While these countries do not constitute an exhaustive list of all UHC reforms around the world today, together they cover over one-third of the world’s population, and therefore offer an important data set from which to learn about UHC worldwide and, more specifically, about the bottom-up approach to UHC.