Global Underrepresentation of African Populations in Anatomical and Biomedical Datasets: Implications for Health Equity

Abstract

Africa is a continent with a large population but with a reduced representation of Africans in
anatomical and biomedical datasets globally. The accuracy and suitability of biomedical
research is limited by this underrepresentation, perpetuating health outcome inequities. This
study aimed to systematically review the extent to which there is an African
underrepresentation in anatomical and biomedical datasets and its implications for health
equity. The objectives are to analyze the extent of underrepresentation, identify the biomedical
areas underrepresented, and to evaluate the clinical implications of overlooking anatomical
variations. A systematic search was conducted using Google Scholar and PubMed, restricted
to review articles published in the past five years. Out of 857 articles initially obtained from
the search, 25 papers met the inclusion criteria, 14 papers from Google Scholar and 11 from
PubMed. The limited number of acceptable studies itself show a systemic gap in the inclusion
of African populations in biomedical research. This review highlights that the domination of
Eurocentric datasets undermines accuracy in diagnosis, surgical safety, and therapeutic
effectiveness in African contexts, especially in oncology, neuroimaging, and anatomy
education. It underlines the necessity, both ethical and clinical, of incorporating African data
into biomedical frameworks, while also identifying structural barriers such as weak research
facilities and imbalance in funding. As a way forward, this review recommends that Africanled
research initiatives be prioritised, and deliberate expansion of anatomical and biomedical
datasets, to reflect African population diversity be made.