Who spends the most GDP on healthcare?

Asked by: Prof. Aurore Johns PhD  |  Last update: September 26, 2025
Score: 5/5 (51 votes)

In 2021, the U.S. spent 17.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on health care, nearly twice as much as the average OECD country. Health spending per person in the U.S. was nearly two times higher than in the closest country, Germany, and four times higher than in South Korea.

Which country spends the most on healthcare by GDP?

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.

Who spends the most on healthcare?

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 four trillion dollars. Expenditure as a percentage of GDP is projected to increase to approximately 20 percent by the year 2031.

What percent of US GDP is spent on healthcare?

The data are presented by type of service, sources of funding, and type of sponsor. U.S. health care spending grew 7.5 percent in 2023, reaching $4.9 trillion or $14,570 per person. As a share of the nation's Gross Domestic Product, health spending accounted for 17.6 percent.

Which country spends the largest fraction of its GDP on health care?

The United States Spends More on Healthcare per Person than Other Wealthy Countries. The amount of resources a country allocates for healthcare varies as each country has its own political, economic, and social attributes that help determine how much it will spend.

What experts say about who has the world's best health-care system | Opinion

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Where does America rank in healthcare?

The US health care system ranked last overall among 10 other high-income countries on key issues such as equity, access to care, and outcome measures, according to a new report, Mirror, Mirror 2024: A Portrait of the Failing US Health System, by The Commonwealth Fund.

Why is US healthcare so expensive compared to other countries?

While it is true that many brand-name retail prescription drugs are priced higher in the U.S. than in peer countries, health spending data indicates that other spending categories – particularly hospital and physician payments – are primary drivers of the U.S.'s higher health spending.

What country has the most expensive health care?

The United States: the world's highest medical expenses

The United States has the most expensive healthcare system of any country. A medical consultation with a general practitioner costs, on average, $190 or around €170. A stay in hospital can result in bills amounting to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Why is US healthcare spending so high?

There are many possible reasons for that increase in healthcare prices: The introduction of new, innovative healthcare technology can lead to better, more expensive procedures and products. The complexity of the U.S. healthcare system can lead to administrative waste in the insurance and provider payment systems.

What happens in America if you can't afford healthcare?

Americans are no longer taxed for not carrying health insurance. Medical debt contributes to a large number of bankruptcies in America. Access to quality primary care is critical, but doctors have the right to refuse patients without insurance or who are able to pay out-of-pocket expenses.

Who is number 1 in healthcare in the world?

According to the index, Singapore ranks first for healthcare, followed by Japan in second place and South Korea in third. In contrast, the United States ranks much lower, coming in at 69th place in this assessment. The full rankings are listed below.

Who is the largest payer in healthcare?

Medicare is the single largest payer for health care services in the United States.

Which country spends the least on healthcare?

The countries with the lowest governmental health expenditure include South Sudan, Eritrea and Bangladesh. 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.

Why doesn't the US have free healthcare?

Groups with significant economic resources have long been opposed to universal health insurance. We have a political system so sophisticated about finding the middle ground that we have had long periods in which the parties have been essentially even in their control of power in the national government.

What country has free healthcare?

All but 43 countries in the world have free healthcare or access to universal healthcare for at least 90% of their citizens according to Hudson's Global Residence Index. However, Brazil is the only country in the world that offers free healthcare for all its citizens.

Which country has the highest paying healthcare?

Topping our list is Luxembourg, a small yet prosperous country known for its thriving economy and high standard of living. Doctors in Luxembourg enjoy some of the highest salaries in the world, along with excellent working conditions and ample opportunities for professional growth.

Why do Americans have to pay so much for health care?

Healthcare in the United States

Most of the costs involved in the U.S. healthcare system are market-driven. This results in high, unregulated prescription drug costs and higher healthcare providers' salaries in contrast to other Western nations.

Is healthcare free in Canada?

In Canada's health care system, some services are free at the point of service while others require the patient to pay a fee. Roughly 70% of health care spending in Canada is covered by the government, paid for with tax dollars. (Some of those services may still require some payment from the patient.)

What percentage of healthcare dollars go to physicians?

As the second highest component in national health expenditures at 20% (hospital care is 31 percent), physician/clinical services have captured everyone's attention.

Why is American healthcare the most expensive in the world?

And my insurance is different from your insurance.” A third reason for high U.S. health care costs is that the health care industry—insurance companies and hospitals—became more consolidated, and more powerful. “They can command more market power, they can command higher prices,” said Frakt.

Does Germany have free healthcare?

Health insurance in Germany is compulsory and provided either through statutory health insurance (SHI) or substitutive private health insurance (PHI). In 2023, the SHI system consisted of 96 sickness funds (acting as third-party payers), covering around 89% of the population.

What country has the cheapest healthcare?

If you're considering retiring abroad, these are the top 10 countries with the most affordable healthcare.
  1. Portugal. The World Health Organization ranks Portugal's healthcare as the 12th-best in the world.
  2. France. ...
  3. Mexico. ...
  4. Colombia. ...
  5. Costa Rica. ...
  6. Panama. ...
  7. Spain. ...
  8. Denmark. ...

Which chronic disease is associated with the costliest healthcare?

Heart diseases and stroke

Heart disease and stroke costs in the US total $363 billion per year, split between $216 billion in direct medical costs and $147 billion in lost productivity. The sheer volume of heart disease or stroke fatalities is an ever-growing concern for payers.

What is the largest source of payment for healthcare services?

When viewed individually, private insurance programs were the largest single source of funding for healthcare expenditures in 2022, followed by Medicare (22 percent) and Medicaid (19 percent). The amounts paid for particular services vary across insurance programs and have changed over time.