Dramatic Increase in Health Spending Around the World

According to the World Health Organization, the health expenditure per country has been growing steadily since the 1990s. Some countries have reported dramatic increases while the level of healthcare has remained the same.

As WHO reports, here are some interesting facts in regards to spending on health around the world. (1)

Total global expenditure for health	US$ 6.5 trillion
Total global expenditure for health per person per year	US$ 948
Country with highest total spending per person per year on health	United States (US$ 8362)
Country with lowest total spending per person per year on health	Eritrea (US$ 12)
Country with highest government spending per person per year on health	Luxembourg (US$ 6906)
Country with lowest government spending per person per year on health	Myanmar (US$ 2)
Country with highest annual out-of-pocket household spending on health	Switzerland (US$ 2412)
Country with lowest annual out-of-pocket household spending on health	Kiribati (US$ 0.2)
Average amount spent per person per year on health in countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)	US$ 4380
Percentage of the world’s population living in OECD countries	18%
Percentage of the world’s total financial resources devoted to health currently spent in OECD countries	84%
WHO estimate of minimum spending per person per year needed to provide basic, life-saving services	US$ 44
Number of WHO Member States where health spending – including spending by government, households and the private sector and funds provided by external donors – is lower than US$ 50 per person per year	34
Number of WHO Member States where health spending is lower than US$ 20 per person per year	7
Percentage of funds spent on health in WHO’s Africa Region that has been provided by donors	11%

The health expenditure per capita in the United States in 2014 is more than double the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) average.

How does your country compare to others? (2)

2016 OECD member rankings

Rank	Country	% of health expenditure funded by government (3)
1	Norway	85.2%
2	Germany	84.6%
3	Denmark	84.1%
3	Japan	84.1%
5	Sweden	83.9%
6	Czech Republic	83.4%
7	Luxembourg	83.0%
8	Iceland	82.1%
9	Netherlands	80.8%
10	New Zealand	80.2%
11	Slovakia	79.8%
12	Turkey	79.4%
13	United Kingdom	79.2%
14	France	78.8%
15	Belgium	77.3%
16	Estonia	76.1%
17	Austria	75.7%
18	Italy	75.0%
19	Finland	74.2%
20	Slovenia	71.8%
21	Spain	70.6%
22	Ireland	70.2%
23	Canada	70.0%
24	Poland	69.0%
25	Hungary	68.3%
26	Australia	67.8%
27	Portugal	66.2%
28	Switzerland	63.6%
29	Israel	61.3%
30	Chile	60.7%
31	Greece	59.3%
32	South Korea	56.4%
33	Mexico	51.7%
34	United States	49.1%