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Global ranking · 49 economies · World Bank data

Health Spending by Country 2026

Health Spending by Country 2026: 49 economies ranked by health spending (% of GDP), with nominal & PPP figures, 10-year trends, regional breakdowns, charts and a downloadable dataset. United States leads at 16.7%; Sweden ranks 7th of 49 at 11.2% (2024). Source: World Bank. Free to cite.

By Affärslivet Research · Published 2026-07-01 · Updated 2026-07-08 · Version 1.1 · CC BY 4.0

16.7%Highest (United States)World Bank, 2023
7thSweden's rankof 49 economies
11.2%Swedenhealth spending (% of GDP), 2024
10.5%European Unionreference
12.7%OECDreference
10.1%Worldreference

Executive summary

This index ranks 49 of the world's largest economies by health spending (% of GDP), using World Bank Open Data for cross-country comparability, and goes beyond a single snapshot: it shows the nominal figure, a ten-year history, a regional breakdown and the biggest movers. United States leads at 16.7% (2023); Indonesia is lowest among those ranked at 2.7%. Sweden ranks 7th of 49 at 11.2% (2024). As reference points, the EU stands at 10.5%, the OECD at 12.7% and the world at 10.1%. Every figure carries its World Bank series and reference year, and the complete dataset is free to download as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

Key findings

0116.7%of 49 economies

United States tops the ranking

United States has the highest health spending (% of GDP) among the 49 economies in this index at 16.7% (2023).

Source: World Bank Open Data · 2023 · confidence: High

027th11.2%

Where Sweden ranks

Sweden ranks 7th of 49 at 11.2% (2024), below the OECD reference of 12.7%.

Source: World Bank Open Data · 2024 · confidence: High

035 economiesUnited States, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France

Top five

The five highest by health spending (% of GDP) are United States (16.7%), Germany (12.3%), Austria (11.8%), Switzerland (11.7%), France (11.5%).

Source: World Bank Open Data · 2023 · confidence: High

Data vintage — July 2026

Figures reflect the most recent year available in the World Bank Open Data API for each economy (shown next to every value). This index of health spending as a share of GDP by country regenerates automatically as new data is published.

Overview

How much a country spends on health, as a share of GDP, shapes access, outcomes and fiscal pressure. This index ranks countries by total health expenditure as a percentage of GDP (World Bank, compiled from WHO).

The United States is a persistent outlier, spending far more of its economy on health than any peer without correspondingly better outcomes — a fact cited in almost every health-policy debate.

What drives the ranking

Health spending rises with income, ageing populations and medical-technology costs. How it is organised — single-payer, insurance-based, or mixed — strongly affects both the level of spending and what it buys.

High spending does not guarantee good outcomes: several countries achieve top-tier life expectancy at a fraction of US spending, which is why this index pairs naturally with the life-expectancy ranking.

By region

Median health spending (% of GDP) by world region among the ranked economies. Regional medians reveal patterns the country ranking alone can hide.

RegionEconomiesMedianHighestLowest
Europe239.4%12.3%5.7%
Asia-Pacific124.8%10.7%2.7%
Americas710.3%16.7%5.5%
Middle East & Africa75.0%8.9%4.2%

Biggest movers

The largest changes in health spending (% of GDP) over the available window — where the action has been.

CountryChangeΔPeriod
Russia5.4% → 7.0%+1.7%2018–2023
Poland6.4% → 8.1%+1.7%2019–2024
New Zealand8.6% → 10.1%+1.4%2019–2024
Finland9.1% → 10.5%+1.4%2018–2023
Chile9.3% → 10.5%+1.2%2019–2024
Austria10.6% → 11.8%+1.2%2019–2024
United Kingdom10.0% → 11.1%+1.2%2019–2024
Philippines4.0% → 5.1%+1.1%2018–2023

Full ranking — 49 economies

Complete ranking by health spending (% of GDP), most recent World Bank data, with world region. Region aggregates (EU, OECD, World) appear in the At-a-glance box as reference points.

#CountryHealth Spending (% Of Gdp)RegionYear
1United States16.7%Americas2023
2Germany12.3%Europe2024
3Austria11.8%Europe2024
4Switzerland11.7%Europe2023
5France11.5%Europe2024
6Canada11.3%Americas2024
7Sweden11.2%Europe2024
8United Kingdom11.1%Europe2024
9Belgium10.8%Europe2023
10Japan10.7%Asia-Pacific2023
11Chile10.5%Americas2024
12Finland10.5%Europe2023
13Australia10.4%Asia-Pacific2023
14Argentina10.3%Americas2023
15Portugal10.2%Europe2024
16New Zealand10.1%Asia-Pacific2024
17Netherlands10.0%Europe2024
18Brazil9.7%Americas2023
19Norway9.4%Europe2023
20Denmark9.4%Europe2024
21Spain9.2%Europe2023
22Iceland9.0%Europe2024
23South Africa8.9%Middle East & Africa2023
24South Korea8.7%Asia-Pacific2024
25Czechia8.5%Europe2024
26Italy8.4%Europe2024
27Greece8.4%Europe2023
28Ukraine8.2%Europe2021
29Colombia8.1%Americas2024
30Poland8.1%Europe2024
31Israel7.1%Middle East & Africa2023
32Russia7.0%Europe2023
33Ireland6.9%Europe2024
34Hungary6.4%Europe2023
35China5.9%Asia-Pacific2023
36Romania5.7%Europe2023
37Saudi Arabia5.7%Middle East & Africa2023
38Mexico5.5%Americas2023
39Philippines5.1%Asia-Pacific2023
40United Arab Emirates5.0%Middle East & Africa2023
41Egypt4.9%Middle East & Africa2023
42Viet Nam4.6%Asia-Pacific2023
43Thailand4.5%Asia-Pacific2023
44Singapore4.5%Asia-Pacific2023
45Turkiye4.3%Middle East & Africa2023
46Nigeria4.2%Middle East & Africa2023
47Malaysia4.0%Asia-Pacific2023
48India3.3%Asia-Pacific2023
49Indonesia2.7%Asia-Pacific2023

Scoreboard (machine-readable data)

Every headline indicator with its value, period, source and confidence. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.

↓ CSV · ↓ JSON

IndicatorValuePeriodSourceConf.
United States16.69 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Germany12.27 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Austria11.83 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Switzerland11.69 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
France11.54 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Canada11.31 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Sweden11.22 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
United Kingdom11.13 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Belgium10.8 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Japan10.74 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Chile10.53 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Finland10.47 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Australia10.4 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Argentina10.27 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Portugal10.24 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
New Zealand10.06 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Netherlands10.01 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Brazil9.73 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Norway9.43 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Denmark9.39 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Spain9.22 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Iceland8.98 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
South Africa8.91 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
South Korea8.68 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Czechia8.51 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Italy8.44 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Greece8.39 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Ukraine8.2 %2021World Bank Open DataHigh
Colombia8.14 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Poland8.06 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Israel7.1 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Russia7.04 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Ireland6.85 %2024World Bank Open DataHigh
Hungary6.37 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
China5.94 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Romania5.71 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Saudi Arabia5.69 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Mexico5.5 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Philippines5.1 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
United Arab Emirates4.97 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Egypt4.88 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Viet Nam4.56 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Thailand4.54 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Singapore4.49 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Turkiye4.28 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Nigeria4.19 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Malaysia3.96 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
India3.34 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh
Indonesia2.7 %2023World Bank Open DataHigh

Methodology & verification

Economies are ranked by health spending (% of GDP) using the World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Each value is the most recent year available for that economy, shown alongside the figure; the trend table uses each economy's reported history. Economies with no reported value are omitted rather than estimated. Region aggregates (EU, euro area, OECD, World) are reference points, not ranked. Total health expenditure combines public and private spending; the public/private split, not shown here, varies enormously and matters for access and equity. Confidence: High (official multilateral source).

Data dictionary

FieldTypeDescription
metricstringWorld Bank indicator code : country ISO3
labelstringCountry name
valuenumberhealth spending (% of GDP) value
unitstring%
periodstringReference year
geographystringCountry
source_urlstringWorld Bank indicator page

Frequently asked questions

Which country has the highest health spending (% of GDP)?

United States, at 16.7% (2023). Source: World Bank Open Data.

Where does Sweden rank by health spending (% of GDP)?

Sweden ranks 7th of 49 at 11.2% (2024). Source: World Bank.

What are the top five by health spending (% of GDP)?

United States (16.7%), Germany (12.3%), Austria (11.8%), Switzerland (11.7%), France (11.5%). Source: World Bank.

How is health spending (% of GDP) defined?

Health expenditure (% of GDP), as reported by the World Bank. See the methodology and glossary for details.

How many economies are ranked?

49 of the world's largest economies, plus the EU, OECD and World aggregates as reference points.

What is the caveat with this metric?

Total health expenditure combines public and private spending; the public/private split, not shown here, varies enormously and matters for access and equity.

Where does the data come from?

The World Bank Open Data API, which harmonises national statistics for cross-country comparison. Every figure shows its reference year and links to its World Bank indicator page.

How current is it, and how often does it update?

Each figure is the latest year the World Bank reports for that economy. The index regenerates automatically as new data is released.

Can I download this ranking?

Yes — the full ranking is available as CSV and JSON under a CC BY 4.0 licence, free to reuse with attribution to Affärslivet.

Glossary

Health Spending (% Of Gdp)
Health expenditure (% of GDP) — as reported by the World Bank. ↗
World Bank Open Data
A free, authoritative database of harmonised economic indicators for every country. ↗
Purchasing-power parity (PPP)
A conversion that equalises the price of a comparable basket of goods across countries, so output and incomes can be compared in real terms rather than at market exchange rates. ↗
Nominal (current US$)
A value converted at prevailing market exchange rates and not adjusted for differences in price levels. ↗
GNI per capita
Gross national income per person — like GDP per capita but including net income earned abroad; useful where cross-border corporate flows are large. ↗
Reference year
The year a figure applies to; it can differ across countries because national statistics are published on different schedules. ↗
Region aggregate
A World Bank grouping (e.g. European Union, OECD, World) whose value is a weighted regional total or average, shown here for reference rather than ranked. ↗

How to cite this report

APA

Affärslivet Research. (2026). Health Spending by Country 2026. Affärslivet. Version 1.1. https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/health-spending-by-country

MLA

Affärslivet Research. "Health Spending by Country 2026." Affärslivet, 2026-07-01, https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/health-spending-by-country.

BibTeX

@techreport{affarslivet_health_spending_by_country,
  title  = {Health Spending by Country 2026},
  author = {{Affärslivet Research}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {Version 1.1},
  url    = {https://xn--affrslivet-s5a.com/en/reports/health-spending-by-country}
}

Sources