Although inequality in health and educational outcomes across countries remains large, the past two decades have seen a shift towards convergence, as poorer countries have continued to make notable progress in improving their levels of human development. However, this good news is tempered by the persistence of large inequalities in health and education within and across both social groups and regions within countries. Spatial disparities may not have increased in all countries but they have remained high, as have inequalities in education and health. However, as with economic inequalities, trends are far from universal. Disparities in length of life reflect inequalities in health risks and in access to health services, life expectancy is also a marker of a country’s economic and political situation, including its level of stability and human security.