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 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

In 2023, Mexico’s healthcare expenditure represented an estimated 5.7 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), a decrease of 0.4 percentage points in comparison to 2020. 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 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. Health coverage in the North American countryIn 2021, 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.

United States - Contributions to Percent Change in Real GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Health Care and Social Assistance was 0.34000 Percentage Points in October of 2024, 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: Health Care and Social Assistance reached a record high of 4.98000 in July of 2020 and a record low of -3.94000 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: Health Care and Social Assistance - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

In 2023, the United States had the highest per capita health expenditure among OECD countries. At that time, per capita health expenditure in the U.S. amounted over ****** U.S. dollars, significantly higher than in Switzerland, the country with the second-highest per capita health expenditure. Norway, Germany and Austria are also within the top five countries with the highest per capita health expenditure. The United States also spent the highest share of it’s gross domestic product on health care, with **** percent of its GDP spent on health care services. Health Expenditure in the U.S. The United States is the highest spending country worldwide when it comes to health care. In 2022, total health expenditure in the U.S. exceeded **** trillion dollars. Expenditure as a percentage of GDP is projected to increase to approximately ** percent by the year 2031. Distribution of Health Expenditure in the U.S. Health expenditure in the United States is spread out across multiple categories such as nursing home facilities, home health care, and prescription drugs. As of 2022, the majority of health expenditure in the United States was spent on hospital care, accounting for a bit less than *** third of all health spending. Hospital care was followed by spending on physician and clinical services which accounted for ** percent of overall health expenditure.

Graph and download economic data for Government current expenditures: Health (G160271A027NBEA) from 1959 to 2023 about health, expenditures, government, GDP, and USA.

United States - Contributions to Percent Change in the Chain-Type Price Index for GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Educational Services was 0.04000 Percentage Points in October of 2024, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Contributions to Percent Change in the Chain-Type Price Index for GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Educational Services reached a record high of 0.09000 in January of 2006 and a record low of -0.01000 in January of 2022. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Contributions to Percent Change in the Chain-Type Price Index for GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Educational Services - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Health expenditure in the U.S. has been a hotly debated topic among political parties, especially on the verge of presidential elections. Health expenditures in the U.S. have been increasing over time and are projected to keep increasing. As of 2023, the U.S. spent a total of *** trillion U.S. dollars on healthcare. U.S. health expenditure in comparison The U.S has some of the highest expenditures for health care in the world. With a total health spending of roughly ** percent of the country’s GDP, the U.S. has far surpassed the country with the second highest health expenditure as a share of GDP, Germany. The United States, despite having a mixed method of healthcare financing and insurances, also has one of the highest shares of domestic governmental health expenditures. U.S. health care payers There are several different governmental and non-governmental agencies that are responsible for health care funding and payments in the United States. Currently, private insurance and Medicare are the two largest payers of U.S. health care. Direct health care costs are not the only things that these payers are responsible for. They may also be partly responsible for prescription drug costs. Again, private insurance and Medicare are the two largest payers of prescription drug costs in the U.S. Among all the payers of health care costs in the U.S., Medicare has experienced the highest level of health spending increases in recent years.

Graph and download economic data for Contributions to percent change in real gross domestic product: Personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care (DHLCRY2Q224SBEA) from Q2 1959 to Q1 2025 about contributions, health, PCE, consumption expenditures, consumption, percent, personal, services, real, GDP, and USA.

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 July of 2025.

In 2021, spending on health represented approximately six percent of Peru's gross domestic product (GDP). During the decade analyzed, healthcare expenditure as share of GDP in the South American country remained relatively stable, ranging from five to six percent. In comparison, that year Cuba's healthcare spending corresponded to 14 percent of its GDP, the highest value reported among Latin American and Caribbean countries.

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 Contributions to percent change in real gross domestic product: Personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care (DHLCRY2A224NBEA) from 1930 to 2024 about contributions, health, PCE, consumption expenditures, consumption, percent, personal, services, real, GDP, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Contributions to Percent Change in Real GDP by Industry: Educational Services, Health Care, and Social Assistance: Health Care and Social Assistance (CPGDPHCSA) from Q2 2005 to Q1 2025 about social assistance, contributions, health, private industries, education, percent, services, private, real, industry, GDP, and USA.