Despite being globally pervasive, racism, xenophobia, and discrimination are not universally
recognised determinants of health. We challenge widespread beliefs related to the
inevitability of increased mortality and morbidity associated with particular ethnicities
and minoritised groups. In refuting that racial categories have a genetic basis and
acknowledging that socioeconomic factors offer incomplete explanations in understanding
these health disparities, we examine the pathways by which discrimination based on
caste, ethnicity, Indigeneity, migratory status, race, religion, and skin colour affect
health.