Awareness and capacities of 103 countries to address antimicrobial resistance from 2017 to 2020

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global concern, compromising the effectiveness of treatments for infections and being referred to as a silent pandemic. This study examines the factors associated with AMR awareness and capacities across 103 countries from 2017 to 2020. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine whether factors such as Human Development Index (HDI), Civil Liberties (CL), Gender Equality (GE), Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Healthcare Workforce Density (HWD), and State Party Self-Assessment Annual Report (SPAR) scores are significantly associated with countries' AMR awareness and capacities. The results identified that the majority of countries had Very High HDI, Full Freedom, Fair GE, Low UHC, High HWD, and Low SPAR scores. However, despite these generally favorable profiles, the majority still lack sufficient awareness and capacity to address AMR. This underscores the importance of strengthening AMR awareness and capacities globally, regardless of a country's characteristics. Significant associations were observed between these factors and AMR awareness and capacities (χ2). UHC emerged as the only factor significantly associated with AMR capacities, where countries with low AMR capacities are more frequently found among countries that also have poor UHC (OR = 10.49, 8.96, and 12.92 across various models; all p < 0.05). This finding highlights the potential to improve the AMR capacities of countries through the achievement of UHC targets.