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.

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 Real Gross Domestic Product: Health Care and Social Assistance (62) in the United States (USHLTHSOCASSRQGSP) from Q1 2005 to Q1 2025 about healthcare, social assistance, health, education, GSP, private industries, services, private, real, 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.

Graph and download economic data for Government current expenditures: Federal: Health (G160661A027NBEA) from 1959 to 2023 about health, expenditures, federal, government, GDP, and USA.

The average for 2021 based on 181 countries was 7.21 percent. The highest value was in Afghanistan: 21.83 percent and the lowest value was in Brunei: 2.2 percent. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

United States US: Health Expenditure: Public: % of GDP data was reported at 8.279 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 8.045 % for 2013. United States US: Health Expenditure: Public: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 6.710 % from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2014, with 20 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.279 % in 2014 and a record low of 5.614 % in 1999. United States US: Health Expenditure: Public: % 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. Public health expenditure consists of recurrent and capital spending from government (central and local) budgets, external borrowings and grants (including donations from international agencies and nongovernmental organizations), and social (or compulsory) health insurance funds.; ; World Health Organization Global Health Expenditure database (see http://apps.who.int/nha/database for the most recent updates).; Weighted average;

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.

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.

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 value added, social assistance, health, education, private industries, percent, private, services, industry, GDP, and USA.

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.

United States GDP: PCE: SE: MC: OPMS: Home Health Care data was reported at 49.989 USD bn in Oct 2003. This records an increase from the previous number of 49.425 USD bn for Sep 2003. United States GDP: PCE: SE: MC: OPMS: Home Health Care data is updated monthly, averaging 38.258 USD bn from Jan 1987 (Median) to Oct 2003, with 202 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 49.989 USD bn in Oct 2003 and a record low of 10.119 USD bn in Jan 1987. United States GDP: PCE: SE: MC: OPMS: Home Health Care data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.A203: NIPA 1999: Personal Consumption Expenditure.

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.

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 value added, social assistance, health, education, private industries, percent, services, private, industry, GDP, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Real Gross Domestic Product: Ambulatory Health Care Services (621) in the United States (USAMBHCRGSP) from 1997 to 2023 about ambulatory, assistance, healthcare, social assistance, health, GSP, private industries, education, services, private, real, industry, GDP, and USA.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Gross Domestic Product: Health Care and Social Assistance (62) in the United States (USHLTHSOCASSNGSP) from 1997 to 2024 about healthcare, social assistance, health, education, GSP, private industries, services, private, industry, GDP, and USA.

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.

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.