Healthcare spending in the United Kingdom (UK) as a share of the gross domestic product (GDP) has increased since 1990, when it was 5.1 percent. By 2023, healthcare expenditure in the UK amounted 10.9 percent of the GDP. Health expenditure in the UK compared to Europe  In comparison to other European countries in 2022, the UK ranked fifth highest in terms of healthcare spending as a share of the GDP. Top of the list was Germany, which spent 12.7 percent of its GDP on healthcare in this year. This was followed by France and Austria, which spent 11.9 percent and 11.4 percent on health, respectively. Performance of the NHS in the UK  Individuals in the UK still regard the NHS as a world class health service and remain happy with the high level of care provided by the organization. Although waiting times have been getting worse in the A&E department over the years. The NHS has been falling behind the target that 95 percent of patients should be seen within four hours of arrival. As a result, the primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the NHS among the public are the length of time required to get a GP or hospital appointment and the lack of staff.   

In 2023, the annual spending on public healthcare in the United Kingdom (UK) accounted for 8.9 percent of GDP. This is a significant decrease from 10.1 percent in 2020 and 2021, which were the highest shares in the reported time period. Total spending on health in the UK In total, approximately 282 billion British pounds were spent on healthcare in the UK in 2022. Although, spending as a share of GDP decreased from 2009 to 2019, the total spending on health has continued to increase. Broken down by function, the UK government spent almost 139 billion pounds on curative/rehabilitative care. Performance of the NHS in the UK Individuals in the UK still regard the NHS as a world class health service and remain happy with the high level of care provided by the organization. However, waiting times have been getting worse in the A&E department over the years. The NHS has been falling behind the target that 95 percent of patients should be seen within four hours of arrival. As a result, the primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the NHS among the public are the length of time required to get a GP or hospital appointment and the lack of staff.

In 2022, U.S. national health expenditure as a share of its gross domestic product (GDP) reached 17.3 percent, this was a decrease 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.

This statistic displays the share of GDP spent on the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, forecast from 2015/16 to 2030/31. By 2030/31 the share of GDP to be spent on the NHS is expected to decrease to 7.1 percent.

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 16 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 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 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.

Healthcare spending in the United Kingdom (UK) has gradually increased since 2000 when it amounted to 78.5 billion British pounds. By 2021, healthcare expenditure in the UKreached a maximum of over 244 billion British pounds. This was an increase of approximately two billion British pounds on the previous year's healthcare spending. In 2023, this figure stood at almost 230 billion British pounds. Health expenditure in the UK compared to Europe In 2023, the UK spent almost 11 percent of its GDP on healthcare. In comparison to other European countries, this ranked the UK fifth in terms of health expenditure. At the op of the list was Switzerland, which spent 12 percent of its GDP on healthcare that year.  Performance of the NHS in the UK The majority of surveyed individuals in the UK regard the NHS as a world class health service and remain happy with the high level of care provided by the organization. Although waiting times have been getting worse in the A&E department over the years. The NHS has been falling behind the target that 95 percent of patients should be seen within four hours of arrival. As a result, the primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the NHS among the public are the length of time required to get a GP or hospital appointment and the lack of staff.

In 2022, the U.S. government spent more on healthcare than any other country, at 16.6 percent of GDP. In the same year, U.S. military expenditure was 3.45 percent of GDP. This statistic shows the healthcare and military expenditure as a percentage of GDP in select countries in 2022.

Healthcare spending in the United Kingdom (UK) in both sectors has increased since 1997, although spending in the public sector has increased at a faster rate. By 2018, public healthcare expenditure in the UK stood at to 149.5 billion British pounds, compared to 34.5 billion British pounds in the private sector.

Health expenditure in the UK compared to Europe 

In 2019, the UK spent just over ten percent of its GDP on healthcare. In comparison to other European countries, this ranked the UK seventh in terms of health expenditure in 2019. Top of the list was Switzerland, which spent 12.1 percent of its’ GDP on healthcare in this year.  

Performance of the public health sector in UK 

The majority of people questioned in a survey in the UK, regard the NHS as a world class health service and remain happy with the high level of care provided by the organization. Although waiting times have been getting worse in the A&E department over the years. The NHS has been falling behind the target that 95 percent of patients should be seen within four hours of arrival. As a result, the primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the NHS among the public are the length of time required to get a GP or hospital appointment and the lack of staff.   

The government of the United Kingdom spent over 221 billion British pounds on health in 2023/24, compared with 221 billion pounds in 2022/23.

This statistic displays the share of GDP spent on the National Health Service (NHS) and adult social care in the United Kingdom, forecast from 2015/16 to 2030/31. In 2015/16 the share of GDP forecast to be spent on the NHS and adult social care amounts to 8.4 percent.

The public and private per capita health expenditure differs significantly by country. As of 2023, the United States had by far the highest public per capita spending worldwide. Moreover, the U.S. had the second-highest private expenditure on health globally just after Switzerland. Health expenditures globally Health expenditures include the consumption of health goods, services and public health programs as well as insurance and government spending. Globally, health expenditures are on the rise. Among all countries the average per capita health expenditure is projected to see an increase of over 30 percent from the 2019 totals by the year 2050. Despite the growing expenditures, there are still countries with relatively low health expenditures. The countries with the lowest governmental health expenditure include South Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh. Health expenditures spotlight: the U.S. In 2021 the U.S. national health expenditure was at an all-time high. However, the projections indicate that total health expenditures will increase even more. The per capita health expenditures for the U.S. looked equally grim, with 2021 projected to be the most expensive year for health care on record. Despite having seen a significant increase in the total cost of health care in the U.S., trends indicate that the annual percentage change in health expenditures is decreasing over time.

The majority of healthcare expenditure in the United Kingdom is publicly funded through the National Health Service, amounting to 230.5 billion British pounds in 2022. This statistic shows the public or government-financed healthcare expenditure in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2022.

In 2023/24, health spending in the United Kingdom was 3,268 British pounds per capita, ranging from 3,975 pounds per capita in London, to 2,899 pounds per capita in East England.

The healthcare spending growth rate in the United Kingdom (UK) has experienced fluctuations since 1998. Then, the healthcare spending growth rate was 5.7 percent and by 2021 the healthcare spending growth was highest at 9.7 percent. 2003 saw the second highest healthcare spending growth rate at 8.6 percent, while in 2013, the growth rate was only one percent, a significant decrease from the preceding years.

Health expenditure in the UK compared to Europe

In 2019, the UK spent just 10.3 percent of its GDP on healthcare. In comparison to other European countries, this ranked the UK seventh in terms of health expenditure in 2019. Top of the list was Switzerland, which spent 12.1 percent of its’ GDP on healthcare in this year.

Consequences from low spending growth?

The majority of surveyed individuals in the UK, regard the NHS as a world class health service and remain happy with the high level of care provided by the organization. Although waiting times have been getting worse in the A&E department over the years. The NHS has been falling behind the target that 95 percent of patients should be seen within four hours of arrival. As a result, the primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the NHS among the public are the length of time required to get a GP or hospital appointment and the lack of staff.

The current health expenditure as a share of the GDP in Ghana was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.1 percentage points. The share is estimated to amount to 4.29 percent 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 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 Senegal and Nigeria.

The total consumer spending on healthcare in Ghana was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 459.6 million U.S. dollars (+38.63 percent). After the seventh consecutive increasing year, the healthcare-related spending is estimated to reach 1.6 billion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2029. Consumer spending, in this case healthcare-related spending, refers to the domestic demand of private households and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs). Spending by corporations and the state is not included. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.Consumer spending is the biggest component of the gross domestic product as computed on an expenditure basis in the context of national accounts. The other components in this approach are consumption expenditure of the state, gross domestic investment as well as the net exports of goods and services. Consumer spending is broken down according to the United Nations' Classification of Individual Consumption By Purpose (COICOP). The shown data adheres broadly to group 06. As not all countries and regions report data in a harmonized way, all data shown here has been processed by Statista to allow the greatest level of comparability possible. The underlying input data are usually household budget surveys conducted by government agencies that track spending of selected households over a given period.The data is shown in nominal terms which means that monetary data is valued at prices of the respective year and has not been adjusted for inflation. For future years the price level has been projected as well. The data has been converted from local currencies to US$ using the average exchange rate of the respective year. For forecast years, the exchange rate has been projected as well. The timelines therefore incorporate currency effects.Find more key insights for the total consumer spending on healthcare in countries like Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

In 2024/25, the expenditure of the United Kingdom government is expected to be reach 1,226 billion British pounds, with the highest spending function being the 371 billion pounds expected to be spent on social protection, which includes pensions and other welfare benefits. Government spending on health was expected to be 251 billion pounds and was the second-highest spending function in this fiscal year, while education was the next highest category at 131 billion pounds.

The current healthcare spending per capita in Ghana was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 20.5 U.S. dollars (+22.15 percent). After the fourth consecutive increasing year, the spending is estimated to reach 113.05 U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2029. Depicted here is the average per capita spending, in a given country or region, with regards to healthcare. The spending refers to the average current spending of both governments and consumers per inhabitant.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 healthcare spending per capita in countries like Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

The current healthcare spending in Ghana was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 1.1 billion U.S. dollars (+33.4 percent). After the fifth consecutive increasing year, the spending is estimated to reach 4.2 billion U.S. dollars and therefore a new peak in 2029. According to Worldbank health spending includes expenditures with regards to healthcare services and goods. The spending refers to current spending of both governments and consumers.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 healthcare spending in countries like Senegal and Ivory Coast.

London was the city in the United Kingdom with the highest costs for constructing a general hospital in 2024. Meanwhile, among cities included in this selection, Leeds was the cheapest one to build that kind of structure. The expenses of such a construction in London were over 500 British pounds higher than in Glasgow. The capital of the UK is the most expensive area for public building construction. Hospital bed numbers still in decline The number of hospital beds in the UK has been declining since 2000. Between 2000 and 2020, figures decreased from 240,144 to 162,723 number of beds. The reduction in hospital beds is, among other reasons, attributed to technical improvements in surgery rooms, patients with mental health problems being treated in different settings, and most importantly, cuts to NHS funding. However, the number of beds increased slightly again in 2021 and 2022. Increased healthcare spend Despite past funding cuts and declining availability of hospital beds, healthcare spending has significantly increased in the past twenty years. In 2022, expenditure reached a peak of nearly 282 billion British pounds, whereas in 2000, this figure amounted to 79 billion British pounds. The value of healthcare expenditure as a share of GDP also increased significantly in the past years.