#SocialDeterminants

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed a staggering 33-year difference between the highest and lowest life expectancies globally, underscoring persistent and widening health inequities across nations and within societies. The findings, released on 6 May 2025, highlight that one’s health and longevity are shaped less by biology than by where one is born and raised, the opportunities available, and the degree to which social and economic structures expose individuals to disadvantage and discrimination (UN News).

Genetics has delivered a powerful verdict in the ongoing discussion about “race”: there is no meaningful biological basis for racial categories, even as their social significance continues to impact lives worldwide. This scientific clarity comes at a time when political and cultural debates, such as recent US presidential orders attacking museum exhibitions that deny race is a biological reality, reignite age-old controversies. For Thai readers navigating conversations on ethnicity, heritage, and health, understanding what genetics truly reveals about human difference is more important than ever.