The AMR Preparedness Index is the first-of-its-kind evaluation of how the governments of the 11 largest global economies are living up to their commitments to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It was launched in 2021, by the Global Coalition on Ageing (GCOA) and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA).

The report identifies a broad failure to match public promises with the concrete actions needed to avert the growing crisis. The index assessed the 11 largest global economiesBrazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). The report also offers case studies from Australia, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Sweden.

The 2021 AMR Preparedness Index assigns scores to each of the 11 countries across seven categories as guidance for needed and achievable policy action.

It is a tool to support evidence-based decision making and help avert this urgent public health crisis. It assesses countries across seven categories identified by experts as critical to successfully addressing AMR, highlighting best practices, identifying priority areas for government action, and offering a framework for countries and stakeholders to hold themselves accountable and benchmark progress on AMR.

Opportunities for government action

Critical opportunities for government action identified in the Index include to:

• Strengthen and fully implement national AMR strategies
• Raise awareness of AMR and its consequences, while targeting prevention opportunities
• Bolster surveillance and leverage data across AMR efforts
• Enable a restructured antimicrobial marketplace to stimulate innovation
• Promote responsible and appropriate use of antibiotics
• Enable reliable and consistent access to needed and novel antimicrobials
• More effectively integrate the One Health approach, including environmental considerations arising from human, veterinary, and agricultural use of antibiotics, into national strategies
• Better engage with other governments, third-party organizations, and advocacy groups