Book excerpt: The World Health Statistics series is WHO's annual compilation of health statistics for its 194 Member States. The series is produced by the WHO Department of Information, Evidence and Research, and of the Health Systems and Innovation Cluster, in collaboration with all relevant WHO technical departments. World Health Statistics 2017 compiles data on 21 health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets with 35 indicators as well as data on life expectancy. This edition also includes, for the first time, success stories from several countries that are making progress towards the health-related SDG targets. World Health Statistics 2017 is organized into three parts. Part 1 describes six lines of action that WHO is now promoting to help build better systems for health and to achieve the health and health-related SDGs. In Part 2, the status of selected health-related SDG indicators is summarized at both global and regional level based on data available as of early 2017. Part 3 presents a selection of stories that highlight recent successful efforts by countries to improve and protect the health of their populations through one or more of the six lines of action. Annexes A and B present country-level estimates for selected health-related SDG indicators. As in previous years, World Health Statistics 2017 has been compiled primarily using publications and databases produced and maintained by WHO or United Nations groups of which WHO is a member such as the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (IGME). Additionally, a number of statistics have been derived from data produced and maintained by other international organizations such as the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and its Population Division.