In 2023, U.S. national health expenditure as a share of its gross domestic product (GDP) reached 17.6 percent, this was an increase on the previous year. The United States has the highest health spending based on GDP share among developed countries. Both public and private health spending in the U.S. is much higher than other developed countries. Why the U.S. pays so much moreWhile private health spending in Canada stays at around three percent and in Germany under two percent of the gross domestic product, it is nearly nine percent in the United States. Another reason for high costs can be found in physicians’ salaries, which are much higher in the U.S. than in other wealthy countries. A general practitioner in the U.S. earns nearly twice as much as the average physician in other high-income countries. Additionally, medicine spending per capita is also significantly higher in the United States. Finally, inflated health care administration costs are another of the predominant factors which make health care spending in the U.S. out of proportion. It is important to state that Americans do not pay more because they have a higher health care utilization, but mainly because of higher prices. Expected developmentsBy 2031, it is expected that health care spending in the U.S. will reach nearly one fifth of the nation’s gross domestic product. Or in dollar-terms, health care expenditures will accumulate to about seven trillion U.S. dollars in total.

Among OECD member countries, the United States had the ******* percentage of gross domestic product spent on health care as of 2024. The U.S. spent nearly **** percent of its GDP on health care services. Germany, Austria, and Germany followed the U.S. with distinctly smaller percentages. The United States had both significantly higher private and public spending on health compared with other developed countries. Why compare OECD countries? OECD stands for Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. It is an economic organization consisting of 38 members, mostly high-income countries and committed to democratic principles and market economy. This makes OECD statistics more comparable than statistics of developed and undeveloped countries. Health economics is an important matter for the OECD, even more since increasing health costs and an aging population have become an issue for many developed countries. Health costs in the U.S. A higher GDP share spent on health care does not automatically lead to a better functioning health system. In the case of the U.S., high spending is mainly because of higher costs and prices, not due to higher utilization. For example, physicians’ salaries are much higher in the U.S. than in other comparable countries. A doctor in the U.S. earns more than ***** as much as the average physician in Germany. Pharmaceutical spending per capita is also distinctly higher in the United States. Furthermore, the U.S. also spends more on health administrative costs compared to other wealthy countries.

Graph and download economic data for Government current expenditures: Health (G160271A027NBEA) from 1959 to 2024 about health, expenditures, government, GDP, and USA.

This statistic shows a forecast of the U.S. national health expenditure as a percentage of GDP from 2024 to 2033. By 2032, this share is expected to increase up to nearly ********* of the national gross domestic product.

United States US: Health Expenditure: Private: % of GDP data was reported at 8.862 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 8.853 % for 2013. United States US: Health Expenditure: Private: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 8.434 % from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2014, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.985 % in 2009 and a record low of 7.132 % in 1997. United States US: Health Expenditure: Private: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Private health expenditure includes direct household (out-of-pocket) spending, private insurance, charitable donations, and direct service payments by private corporations.; ; World Health Organization Global Health Expenditure database (see http://apps.who.int/nha/database for the most recent updates).; Weighted average;

The global current health expenditure as a share of the GDP in was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total *** percentage points. After the seventh consecutive increasing year, the share is estimated to reach **** percent and therefore a new peak in 2029. According to Worldbank health spending includes expenditures with regards to healthcare services and goods. It is depicted here in relation to the total gross domestic product (GDP) of the country or region at hand.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to *** countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the current health expenditure as a share of the GDP in countries like North America and the Americas.

The average for 2021 based on 12 countries was 7.74 percent. The highest value was in Argentina: 10.04 percent and the lowest value was in Venezuela: 4.1 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2021 based on 186 countries was 7.09 percent. The highest value was in Afghanistan: 21.51 percent and the lowest value was in Brunei: 2.15 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Government current expenditures: State and local: Health (G161051A027NBEA) from 1959 to 2023 about state & local, health, expenditures, government, GDP, and USA.

United States US: Health Expenditure: Total: % of GDP data was reported at 17.141 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 16.898 % for 2013. United States US: Health Expenditure: Total: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 15.145 % from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2014, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 17.141 % in 2014 and a record low of 12.963 % in 1997. United States US: Health Expenditure: Total: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total health expenditure is the sum of public and private health expenditure. It covers the provision of health services (preventive and curative), family planning activities, nutrition activities, and emergency aid designated for health but does not include provision of water and sanitation.; ; World Health Organization Global Health Expenditure database (see http://apps.who.int/nha/database for the most recent updates).; Weighted average;

The statistic depicts U.S. health expenditure as a percentage of the GDP from 2007 to 2009, and a forecast for 2050. In 2009, U.S. health expenditure accounted for 18 percent of the GDP.

In 2022, the country with the highest share of health spending relative to its gross domestic product (GDP) in Latin America and the Caribbean was Cuba, with ** percent. It was followed by Argentina, Chile, and El Salvador, with approximately ** percent of GDP spent on healthcare, each. Meanwhile, Haiti and Guyana reported the lowest health spending relative to its GDP in the region that year, which reached the equivalent of around ***** percent.

The average for 2021 based on 19 countries was 7.86 percent. The highest value was in El Salvador: 10.13 percent and the lowest value was in Haiti: 3.44 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care (DHLCRC1Q027SBEA) from Q1 1959 to Q2 2025 about health, PCE, consumption expenditures, consumption, personal, services, GDP, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care (DHLCRC1A027NBEA) from 1929 to 2024 about health, PCE, consumption expenditures, consumption, personal, services, GDP, and USA.

16.5 (%) in 2022. Level of current health expenditure expressed as a percentage of GDP. Estimates of current health expenditures include healthcare goods and services consumed during each year. This indicator does not include capital health expenditures such as buildings, machinery, IT and stocks of vaccines for emergency or outbreaks.

This scatter chart displays GDP (current US$) against health expenditure per capita (current US$) in Oceania. The data is about countries.

In 2024, Mexico’s healthcare expenditure represented an estimated 5.9 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), an increase of 0.2 percentage points in comparison to 2023. This figure had remained relatively stable in previous years. In that year, Mexico's GDP amounted to approximately 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars. Mexico in a global contextHealthcare expenditure is comprised of insurance, research, facility provision, and all other expenses associated with public health. Mexico's spending on healthcare in relation to its GDP is staggeringly low compared to most OECD countries. The United States, for instance, allocated approximately 17 percent of its GDP to healthcare in 2023. Furthermore, Mexico had one of the lowest levels of per capita health expenditures worldwide that year, at around 1,500 U.S dollars. This figure was equivalent to less than half of that reported by Chile, which spent 3,350 U.S. dollars per citizen on health that same year. Health coverage in the North American countryIn 2023, around 56 percent of the Mexican population was covered under one of the country’s public health care programs. Another 46 percent was affiliated to public healthcare insurance. However, despite Mexico’s efforts and investment in healthcare, a significant share of their population is still considered vulnerable due to inadequate access to health services. According to a survey carried out in Mexico in 2020, around 43 percent of respondents in whose households there was at least one member that presented symptoms of an illness did not attend a medical consultation because there were no available appointments.

Per capita national health expenditures in the United States have increased significantly since 1960. In 2023, national health expenditures amounted to **** thousand U.S. dollars per capita. For comparison, in 1960, per capital expenditures for health stood at *** U.S. dollars. According to recent data, the U.S. has some of the highest health care costs in the world. Health care expenditures With increased per capita health expenditures, U.S. health care expenditures as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP) have also increased over the decades. Among developed countries, the U.S. has the highest health expenditure as a proportion of the GDP. The high level of health costs in the U.S. may be attributable to high costs for prescribed drugs and health services as well as high administrative costs. Cost areas A large proportion of all health care spending in the U.S. is attributable to hospital care and physician and clinical services. In recent years, many sectors have seen an increase in health care spending. However, data suggests that prescription drugs have seen some of the most dramatic increases in spending in recent years. The annual prescription drug expenditures in the U.S. reached an all-time high by the end of 2022.

Context

This indicator calculates the average expenditure on health per person. It contributes to understand the health expenditure relative to the population size facilitating international comparison. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines current health spending as:

Health spending measures the final consumption of health care goods and services (i.e. current health expenditure) including personal health care (curative care, rehabilitative care, long-term care, ancillary services and medical goods) and collective services (prevention and public health services as well as health administration), but excluding spending on investments. Health care is financed through a mix of financing arrangements including government spending and compulsory health insurance (“Government/compulsory”) as well as voluntary health insurance and private funds such as households’ out-of-pocket payments, NGOs and private corporations (“Voluntary”). This indicator is presented as a total and by type of financing (“Government/compulsory”, “Voluntary”, “Out-of-pocket”) and is measured as a share of GDP, as a share of total health spending and in USD per capita (using economy-wide PPPs).

OECD (2020), Health spending (indicator). doi: 10.1787/8643de7e-en (Accessed on 19 September 2020)