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.

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 Government current expenditures: Health (G160271A027NBEA) from 1959 to 2023 about health, expenditures, 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.

Graph and download economic data for Personal consumption expenditures: Home health care (DHHCRC1A027NBEA) from 1987 to 2024 about health, PCE, consumption expenditures, consumption, personal, 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 Personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care (DHLCRC1A027NBEA) from 1929 to 2024 about health, PCE, consumption expenditures, consumption, personal, services, GDP, and USA.

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.

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 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.

Graph and download economic data for Real personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care (DHLCRX1Q020SBEA) from Q1 2007 to Q2 2025 about health, PCE, consumption expenditures, consumption, personal, services, real, GDP, and USA.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Real Personal Consumption Expenditures: Services: Household Consumption Expenditures (for Services): Health Care (DHLCRL1Q225SBEA) from Q2 1959 to Q2 2025 about health, PCE, consumption expenditures, consumption, personal, households, services, real, GDP, rate, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Personal consumption expenditures: Services: Health care (chain-type price index) (DHLCRG3Q086SBEA) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about chained, health, PCE, consumption expenditures, consumption, personal, services, GDP, price index, indexes, price, 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 September of 2025.

This statistic shows a forecast of the U.S. total national health expenditure from 2023 to 2032. For 2032, the total health expenditure of the United States is forecasted to reach some 7.7 trillion U.S. dollars.

The United States has the highest expenditure on health care per capita globally. However, the U.S. has an unique way of paying for their health care where a majority of the expenditure falls upon private insurances. In FY 2024, around one ***** of all health expenditure is paid by private insurance. Public insurance programs Medicare and Medicaid accounted for ** and ** percent, respectively, of health expenditure during that same year. U.S. health care system Globally health spending has been increasing among most countries. However, the U.S. has the highest public and private per capita health expenditure among all countries globally, followed by Switzerland. As of 2020, annual health care costs per capita in the United States totaled to over ** thousand U.S. dollars, a significant amount considering the average U.S. personal income is around ** thousand dollars. Out of pocket costs in the U.S. Aside from overall high health care costs for U.S. residents, the total out-of-pocket costs for health care have been on the rise. In recent years, the average per capita out-of-pocket health care payments have exceeded *** thousand dollars. Physician services, dental services and prescription drugs account for the largest proportion of out-of-pocket expenditures for U.S. residents.

Graph and download economic data for Real personal consumption expenditures: Net health insurance: Medical care and hospitalization (DMINRX1A020NBEA) from 2007 to 2024 about hospitals, medical, health, insurance, PCE, Net, consumption expenditures, consumption, personal, real, GDP, and USA.