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 highest percentage of gross domestic product spent on health care as of 2023. The U.S. spent nearly ** percent of its GDP on health care services. Germany, France and Japan 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 ** 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 almost twice 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 compare to other wealthy countries.

Graph and download economic data for Value Added by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance as a Percentage of GDP (VAPGDPESHS) from Q1 2005 to Q1 2025 about value added, social assistance, health, education, private industries, percent, services, private, industry, GDP, and USA.

The average for 2021 based on 19 countries was 7.85 percent. The highest value was in Brazil: 9.89 percent and the lowest value was in Haiti: 3.48 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Value Added by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Educational Services as a Percentage of GDP (VAPGDPES) from Q1 2005 to Q1 2025 about social assistance, value added, health, education, private industries, percent, services, private, industry, GDP, and USA.

This statistic shows a forecast of the U.S. national health expenditure as a percentage of GDP from 2023 to 2032. By 2032, this share is expected to increase up to nearly ********* of the national gross domestic product.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Value Added by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Health Care and Social Assistance as a Percentage of GDP (VAPGDPHCSA) from Q1 2005 to Q1 2025 about social assistance, value added, health, education, private industries, percent, private, services, industry, GDP, and USA.

The average for 2021 based on 12 countries was 7.72 percent. The highest value was in Brazil: 9.89 percent and the lowest value was in Venezuela: 4.04 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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.

United States - Contributions to Percent Change in Real GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance was 0.09000 Percentage Points in January of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Contributions to Percent Change in Real GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance reached a record high of 5.25000 in July of 2020 and a record low of -4.49000 in April of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Contributions to Percent Change in Real GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Gross Domestic Product: Health Care and Social Assistance (62) in the United States (USHLTHSOCASSNQGSP) from Q1 2005 to Q1 2025 about healthcare, social assistance, health, education, GSP, private industries, services, private, industry, GDP, and USA.

United States - Contributions to Percent Change in Real GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Educational Services was -0.03000 Percentage Points in January of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Contributions to Percent Change in Real GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Educational Services reached a record high of 0.27000 in July of 2020 and a record low of -0.55000 in April of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Contributions to Percent Change in Real GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Educational Services - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on August of 2025.

United States - Value Added by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Health Care and Social Assistance as a Percentage of GDP was 7.70% in January of 2025, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Value Added by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Health Care and Social Assistance as a Percentage of GDP reached a record high of 7.70 in July of 2020 and a record low of 6.40 in April of 2005. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Value Added by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Health Care and Social Assistance as a Percentage of GDP - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

United States - Contributions to percent change in real gross domestic product: Personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care was 0.62000 Percentage Points at Annual Rate in January of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Contributions to percent change in real gross domestic product: Personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care reached a record high of 0.98000 in January of 2021 and a record low of -0.82000 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Contributions to percent change in real gross domestic product: Personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

United States US: GDP: % of GDP: Gross Value Added: Services data was reported at 78.921 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 77.881 % for 2014. United States US: GDP: % of GDP: Gross Value Added: Services data is updated yearly, averaging 77.198 % from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2015, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78.921 % in 2015 and a record low of 74.670 % in 1997. United States US: GDP: % of GDP: Gross Value Added: Services 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: Gross Domestic Product: Share of GDP. Services correspond to ISIC divisions 50-99 and they include value added in wholesale and retail trade (including hotels and restaurants), transport, and government, financial, professional, and personal services such as education, health care, and real estate services. Also included are imputed bank service charges, import duties, and any statistical discrepancies noted by national compilers as well as discrepancies arising from rescaling. Value added is the net output of a sector after adding up all outputs and subtracting intermediate inputs. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or depletion and degradation of natural resources. The industrial origin of value added is determined by the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), revision 3. Note: For VAB countries, gross value added at factor cost is used as the denominator.; ; World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.; Weighted Average; Note: Data for OECD countries are based on ISIC, revision 4.

In fiscal year 2022, the share of national medical expenses in the gross domestic product in Japan reached **** percent. This share marked the highest point in the last decade, representing an increase from **** percent in the previous year.

Graph and download economic data for Real Gross Domestic Product: Health Care and Social Assistance (62) in the District of Columbia (DCHLTHSOCASSRQGSP) from Q1 2005 to Q1 2025 about DC, healthcare, social assistance, health, GSP, private industries, education, services, private, real, industry, GDP, and USA.

The current health expenditure as a share of the GDP in the United States was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.8 percentage points. According to this forecast, in 2029, the share will have increased for the seventh consecutive year to 17.98 percent. 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 150 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 Canada and Mexico.

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.