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 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.

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.

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 average for 2021 based on 181 countries was 1402.97 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in the USA: 12012.24 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Madagascar: 17.64 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Context

This indicator calculates the average expenditure on health per person. It contributes to understand the health expenditure relative to the population size facilitating international comparison. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines current health spending as:

Health spending measures the final consumption of health care goods and services (i.e. current health expenditure) including personal health care (curative care, rehabilitative care, long-term care, ancillary services and medical goods) and collective services (prevention and public health services as well as health administration), but excluding spending on investments. Health care is financed through a mix of financing arrangements including government spending and compulsory health insurance (“Government/compulsory”) as well as voluntary health insurance and private funds such as households’ out-of-pocket payments, NGOs and private corporations (“Voluntary”). This indicator is presented as a total and by type of financing (“Government/compulsory”, “Voluntary”, “Out-of-pocket”) and is measured as a share of GDP, as a share of total health spending and in USD per capita (using economy-wide PPPs).

OECD (2020), Health spending (indicator). doi: 10.1787/8643de7e-en (Accessed on 19 September 2020)

The average for 2021 based on 12 countries was 674.15 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Uruguay: 1620.33 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Venezuela: 160.1 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Jamaica: Health spending per capita: The latest value from 2021 is 372.45 U.S. dollars, an increase from 324.48 U.S. dollars in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 1402.97 U.S. dollars, based on data from 181 countries. Historically, the average for Jamaica from 2000 to 2021 is 254.66 U.S. dollars. The minimum value, 150.12 U.S. dollars, was reached in 2003 while the maximum of 372.45 U.S. dollars was recorded in 2021.

Per capita national health expenditures in the United States have increased significantly since 1960. In 2022, national health expenditures amounted to 13.4 thousand U.S. dollars per capita. For comparison, in 1960, per capital expenditures for health stood at 146 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.

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.

The USA: Health spending per capita: The latest value from 2022 is 12473.79 U.S. dollars, an increase from 12012.24 U.S. dollars in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 4461.35 U.S. dollars, based on data from 20 countries. Historically, the average for the USA from 2000 to 2022 is 8220.36 U.S. dollars. The minimum value, 4533.83 U.S. dollars, was reached in 2000 while the maximum of 12473.79 U.S. dollars was recorded in 2022.

The average for 2021 based on 41 countries was 835.91 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Japan: 4347 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Pakistan: 43.09 U.S. dollars. 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 19 countries was 631.84 U.S. dollars. The highest value was in Uruguay: 1620.33 U.S. dollars and the lowest value was in Haiti: 57.88 U.S. dollars. The indicator is available from 2000 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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.

For those with employer-sponsored insurance, out-of-pocket (OOP) health care spending per capita increased between 2016 and 2021, except for a decrease in 2020. In 2021, OOP spending per person on professional services amounted to 406 U.S. dollars, highest in the provided time interval. This statistic shows the annual out-of-pocket health care spending per person in the United States in 2016 and 2021, by category (in U.S. dollars).

Vietnam healthcare spending per capita for 2022 was $188.90, a 12.39% increase from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Vietnam healthcare spending per capita for 2021 was <strong>$168.08</strong>, a <strong>9.78% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Vietnam healthcare spending per capita for 2020 was <strong>$153.10</strong>, a <strong>10.55% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Vietnam healthcare spending per capita for 2019 was <strong>$171.15</strong>, a <strong>5.66% increase</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>Current expenditures on health per capita in current US dollars. Estimates of current health expenditures include healthcare goods and services consumed during each year.

Qatar healthcare spending per capita for 2022 was $1,782, a 3.54% decline from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Qatar healthcare spending per capita for 2021 was <strong>$1,847</strong>, a <strong>6.11% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Qatar healthcare spending per capita for 2020 was <strong>$1,967</strong>, a <strong>2.01% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Qatar healthcare spending per capita for 2019 was <strong>$2,008</strong>, a <strong>2.08% increase</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>Current expenditures on health per capita in current US dollars. Estimates of current health expenditures include healthcare goods and services consumed during each year.

Russia: Health spending per capita: The latest value from 2021 is 936 U.S. dollars, an increase from 771 U.S. dollars in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 1402.97 U.S. dollars, based on data from 181 countries. Historically, the average for Russia from 2000 to 2021 is 500.55 U.S. dollars. The minimum value, 95 U.S. dollars, was reached in 2000 while the maximum of 936 U.S. dollars was recorded in 2021.

Colombia: Health spending per capita: The latest value from 2021 is 557.54 U.S. dollars, an increase from 462.23 U.S. dollars in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 1402.97 U.S. dollars, based on data from 181 countries. Historically, the average for Colombia from 2000 to 2021 is 378.54 U.S. dollars. The minimum value, 129.34 U.S. dollars, was reached in 2003 while the maximum of 586.88 U.S. dollars was recorded in 2014.

This statistic shows the countries with the highest per capita current health expenditure worldwide in 2016. In that year, the United States had the second highest per capita spending, totaling more than 9,870 U.S. dollars.