Tutorial: WHO GHO (Global Health Observatory)

Health

Data source: WHO GHO OData API

Overview

WHO GHO (Global Health Observatory) wraps WHO GHO OData API, handling authentication, pagination, and rate limits for you. This tutorial covers all 5 tools with working code examples you can copy and run.

Prerequisites

Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup for a free API key (100 calls/day).
Choose your integration method: MCP protocol or REST API.

Connect via MCP

Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.):

MCP Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gnist-who-gho": {
      "url": "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/",
      "headers": {
        "Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools (5)

`search_health_indicators`

Search for WHO health indicators by keyword. The Global Health Observatory contains 2000+ indicators covering diseases, risk factors, health systems, mortality, and more. Use this to discover indicator codes before calling get_health_indicator_data(). Returns: count and list of indicators with code and name.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`query`	string	required	Search term (e.g. 'life expectancy', 'malaria', 'tuberculosis', 'obesity').
`max_results`	integer	optional	Maximum number of indicators to return. (default: `25`)

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "search_health_indicators", "arguments": {"query": "'life"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'query': "'life"},
            'name': 'search_health_indicators'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`get_health_indicator_data`

Get data for a specific WHO health indicator. Returns time series data optionally filtered by country, year range, and sex. Each observation includes the numeric value, display value (may include confidence intervals), and dimensional breakdowns. Args: indicator_code: WHO GHO indicator code. Use search_health_indicators() to find codes. country: ISO alpha-3 country code. Omit for all countries. year_from: Start year (inclusive). year_to: End year (inclusive). sex: Filter by sex: 'male', 'female', or 'both'. max_results: Maximum data points to return. Returns: indicator code, observation count, source, and observations list.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`indicator_code`	string	required	WHO GHO indicator code (e.g. 'WHOSIS_000001' for life expectancy). Use search_health_indicators() to find codes.
`country`	any	optional	ISO alpha-3 country code (e.g. 'NOR', 'USA', 'GBR'). Omit for all countries.
`year_from`	any	optional	Start year (inclusive).
`year_to`	any	optional	End year (inclusive).
`sex`	any	optional	Filter by sex: 'male', 'female', or 'both'.
`max_results`	integer	optional	Maximum data points to return. (default: `500`)

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "get_health_indicator_data", "arguments": {"indicator_code": "'WHOSIS_000001'"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'indicator_code': "'WHOSIS_000001'"},
            'name': 'get_health_indicator_data'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`compare_countries_health`

Compare countries on a specific health indicator. Returns the latest available value for each country, making it easy to benchmark health outcomes across nations. Includes both sexes by default when available. Args: indicator_code: WHO GHO indicator code to compare. countries: List of ISO alpha-3 country codes. year: Specific year. Omit for latest available. Returns: indicator, year filter, and per-country latest values with all observations.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`indicator_code`	string	required	WHO GHO indicator code to compare across countries.
`countries`	list[string]	required	List of ISO alpha-3 country codes (e.g. ['NOR', 'SWE', 'DNK', 'FIN']).
`year`	any	optional	Specific year to compare. Omit for latest available.

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "compare_countries_health", "arguments": {"indicator_code": "example", "countries": "['NOR'"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'countries': "['NOR'", 'indicator_code': 'example'},
            'name': 'compare_countries_health'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`get_country_health_profile`

Get a comprehensive health profile for a country. Returns latest values across 12 key health indicators: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, infant/child/maternal mortality, obesity, alcohol, tobacco, physician density, nurse density, health expenditure, and UHC coverage index. Args: country: ISO alpha-3 country code. Returns: country, source, and list of 12 indicator snapshots with latest values.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`country`	string	required	ISO alpha-3 country code (e.g. 'NOR', 'USA', 'GBR', 'JPN').

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "get_country_health_profile", "arguments": {"country": "'NOR'"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'country': "'NOR'"},
            'name': 'get_country_health_profile'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`report_feedback`

Report a bug, feature request, or general feedback for this data source. Use this when something doesn't work as expected, when you'd like a new feature, or when you have suggestions for improvement. Args: feedback: Describe the issue or suggestion. feedback_type: One of 'bug', 'feature_request', or 'general'.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`feedback`	string	required
`feedback_type`	string	optional	(default: `general`)

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "report_feedback", "arguments": {"feedback": "example"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/who-gho/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'feedback': 'example'}, 'name': 'report_feedback'}},
)
print(resp.json())

Common Patterns

Search then retrieve
Use search_health_indicators to find items, then get_health_indicator_data to get full details. This two-step pattern is common for exploring data before drilling down.

Pagination
Several tools support limit, offset, or page parameters. Start with small limits during development, then increase for production queries.

FAQ

What data does WHO GHO (Global Health Observatory) provide?

WHO Global Health Observatory — 2000+ health indicators covering diseases, mortality, risk factors, health systems, and UHC coverage across 194 member states. It exposes 5 tools: search_health_indicators, get_health_indicator_data, compare_countries_health, get_country_health_profile, report_feedback.

What do I need to get started?

A Gnist API key (free tier: 100 calls/day). Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup.

What format does the WHO GHO (Global Health Observatory) API return?

JSON, via either MCP protocol (JSON-RPC 2.0) or REST API.