Health inequity refers to the existence of unnecessary and unfair differences in the ability of an individual or community to achieve optimal health and access appropriate care. Kidney diseases, including acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease, are the epitome of health inequity. Kidney disease risk and outcomes are strongly associated with inequities that occur across the entire clinical course of disease. Insufficient investment across the spectrum of kidney health and kidney care is a fundamental source of inequity. In addition, social and structural inequities, including inequities in access to primary health care, education and preventative strategies, are major risk factors for, and contribute to, poorer outcomes for individuals living with kidney diseases. Access to affordable kidney care is also highly inequitable, resulting in financial hardship and catastrophic health expenditure for the most vulnerable. Solutions to these injustices require leadership and political will. The nephrology community has an important role in advocacy and in identifying and implementing solutions to dismantle inequities that affect kidney health.

Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science University of Aberdeen Aberdeen UK

Association Renaloo Paris France

Clinical Epidemiology Team Center for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health University Paris Saclay UVSQ Inserm Villejuif France

Department of Medicine Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kumasi Ghana

Department of Nephrology 1st Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Department of Paediatric Nephrology St John's Medical College Bengaluru India

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa

Department of Public and Global Health Epidemiology Biostatistics and Prevention Institute University of Zürich Zürich Switzerland

Departments of Epidemiology and Surgery Johns Hopkins University Baltimore MD USA

European Kidney Health Alliance Brussels Belgium

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Ghent University Ghent Belgium

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Imperial College Renal and Transplant Center London UK

Nephrology Section Department of Internal Medicine and Paediatrics University Hospital Ghent Ghent Belgium

Renal Division Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School Boston MA USA

Renal Unit Directorate of Medicine Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Kumasi Ghana

Rural and Remote Health Flinders University Adelaide South Australia Australia

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