Health Expenditure (% of GDP) 2012
Health Expenditure as a percentage of GDP reveals how countries invest in healthcare. Compare rankings and explore interactive maps.
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Complete Data Rankings
Rank | ||
|---|---|---|
1 |  Malta | 16.5 % of GDP |
2 |  United States | 16.2 % of GDP |
3 |  Mexico | 13.8 % of GDP |
4 |  Niue | 13.5 % of GDP |
5 |  Lesotho | 13.2 % of GDP |
6 |  Burundi | 13.1 % of GDP |
7 |  Sierra Leone | 13.1 % of GDP |
8 |  Timor-Leste | 12.3 % of GDP |
9 |  Kenya | 12.2 % of GDP |
10 |  Nauru | 12.1 % of GDP |
11 |  Republic of Moldova | 11.9 % of GDP |
12 |  Belgium | 11.8 % of GDP |
13 |  Cuba | 11.8 % of GDP |
14 |  Finland | 11.7 % of GDP |
15 |  Georgia | 11.3 % of GDP |
16 |  Portugal | 11.3 % of GDP |
17 |  Switzerland | 11.3 % of GDP |
18 |  Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 11.2 % of GDP |
19 |  Austria | 11 % of GDP |
20 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 10.9 % of GDP |
21 |  Canada | 10.9 % of GDP |
22 |  Netherlands | 10.8 % of GDP |
23 |  Ghana | 10.6 % of GDP |
24 |  Costa Rica | 10.5 % of GDP |
25 |  Botswana | 10.3 % of GDP |
26 |  Gambia | 10.1 % of GDP |
27 |  Serbia | 9.9 % of GDP |
28 |  Sweden | 9.9 % of GDP |
29 |  Tuvalu | 9.9 % of GDP |
30 |  Fiji | 9.7 % of GDP |
31 |  Iraq | 9.7 % of GDP |
32 |  Norway | 9.7 % of GDP |
33 |  New Zealand | 9.7 % of GDP |
34 |  Spain | 9.7 % of GDP |
35 |  Argentina | 9.5 % of GDP |
36 |  Israel | 9.5 % of GDP |
37 |  Nicaragua | 9.5 % of GDP |
38 |  Japan | 9.3 % of GDP |
39 |  Mongolia | 9.3 % of GDP |
40 |  United Kingdom | 9.3 % of GDP |
41 |  Slovenia | 9.1 % of GDP |
42 |  Brazil | 9 % of GDP |
43 |  Rwanda | 9 % of GDP |
44 |  Australia | 8.5 % of GDP |
45 |  Slovakia | 8.5 % of GDP |
46 |  South Africa | 8.5 % of GDP |
47 |  Jamaica | 8.3 % of GDP |
48 |  Panama | 8.3 % of GDP |
49 |  Chile | 8.2 % of GDP |
50 |  Hungary | 8.2 % of GDP |
51 |  Lebanon | 8.2 % of GDP |
52 |  Uganda | 8.2 % of GDP |
53 |  Germany | 8.1 % of GDP |
54 |  Latvia | 8.1 % of GDP |
55 |  Guinea-Bissau | 8.1 % of GDP |
56 |  Saint Lucia | 8.1 % of GDP |
57 |  Malaysia | 8 % of GDP |
58 |  Croatia | 7.8 % of GDP |
59 |  Lithuania | 7.8 % of GDP |
60 |  Andorra | 7.7 % of GDP |
61 |  Ireland | 7.6 % of GDP |
62 |  Czech Republic | 7.6 % of GDP |
63 |  Suriname | 7.6 % of GDP |
64 |  Mali | 7.5 % of GDP |
65 |  Afghanistan | 7.4 % of GDP |
66 |  Bulgaria | 7.4 % of GDP |
67 |  Greece | 7.4 % of GDP |
68 |  Uruguay | 7.4 % of GDP |
69 |  Honduras | 7.3 % of GDP |
70 |  Bahamas | 7.2 % of GDP |
71 |  Vietnam | 7.2 % of GDP |
72 |  Grenada | 7.1 % of GDP |
73 |  Paraguay | 7.1 % of GDP |
74 |  Poland | 7.1 % of GDP |
75 |  San Marino | 7.1 % of GDP |
76 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 7.1 % of GDP |
77 |  Chad | 7 % of GDP |
78 |  Denmark | 7 % of GDP |
79 |  Eritrea | 7 % of GDP |
80 |  Ukraine | 7 % of GDP |
81 |  Samoa | 7 % of GDP |
82 |  Albania | 6.9 % of GDP |
83 |  North Macedonia | 6.9 % of GDP |
84 |  Barbados | 6.8 % of GDP |
85 |  Kuwait | 6.8 % of GDP |
86 |  Turkey | 6.7 % of GDP |
87 |  Libya | 6.6 % of GDP |
88 |  South Korea | 6.5 % of GDP |
89 |  Laos | 6.5 % of GDP |
90 |  Mauritius | 6.5 % of GDP |
91 |  Colombia | 6.4 % of GDP |
92 |  Djibouti | 6.4 % of GDP |
93 |  Egypt | 6.4 % of GDP |
94 |  Burkina Faso | 6.4 % of GDP |
95 |  Eswatini | 6.3 % of GDP |
96 |  Madagascar | 6.2 % of GDP |
97 |  Tonga | 6.2 % of GDP |
98 |  Tunisia | 6.2 % of GDP |
99 |  Dominican Republic | 6.1 % of GDP |
100 |  Guinea | 6.1 % of GDP |
101 |  Guyana | 6.1 % of GDP |
102 |  Niger | 6.1 % of GDP |
103 |  Cyprus | 6 % of GDP |
104 |  Gabon | 6 % of GDP |
105 |  Haiti | 6 % of GDP |
106 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 6 % of GDP |
107 |  Dominica | 5.9 % of GDP |
108 |  Togo | 5.9 % of GDP |
109 |  Namibia | 5.9 % of GDP |
110 |  Algeria | 5.8 % of GDP |
111 |  Azerbaijan | 5.8 % of GDP |
112 |  Belarus | 5.8 % of GDP |
113 |  Cambodia | 5.8 % of GDP |
114 |  Nigeria | 5.8 % of GDP |
115 |  Nepal | 5.8 % of GDP |
116 |  Guatemala | 5.7 % of GDP |
117 |  Mauritania | 5.7 % of GDP |
118 |  Mozambique | 5.7 % of GDP |
119 |  Senegal | 5.7 % of GDP |
120 |  Cameroon | 5.6 % of GDP |
121 |  Maldives | 5.6 % of GDP |
122 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 5.6 % of GDP |
123 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 5.6 % of GDP |
124 |  Yemen | 5.6 % of GDP |
125 |  Bhutan | 5.5 % of GDP |
126 |  Indonesia | 5.5 % of GDP |
127 |  Morocco | 5.5 % of GDP |
128 |  Solomon Islands | 5.4 % of GDP |
129 |  Romania | 5.4 % of GDP |
130 |  Russia | 5.4 % of GDP |
131 |  Tajikistan | 5.3 % of GDP |
132 |  Uzbekistan | 5.2 % of GDP |
133 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 5.1 % of GDP |
134 |  Italy | 5.1 % of GDP |
135 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 5.1 % of GDP |
136 |  Tanzania | 5.1 % of GDP |
137 |  Ecuador | 5 % of GDP |
138 |  Saudi Arabia | 5 % of GDP |
139 |  Bolivia | 4.8 % of GDP |
140 |  Malawi | 4.8 % of GDP |
141 |  Zambia | 4.8 % of GDP |
142 |  Monaco | 4.7 % of GDP |
143 |  Angola | 4.6 % of GDP |
144 |  China | 4.6 % of GDP |
145 |  Peru | 4.6 % of GDP |
146 |  Bahrain | 4.5 % of GDP |
147 |  Jordan | 4.5 % of GDP |
148 |  Cook Islands | 4.4 % of GDP |
149 |  Central African Republic | 4.3 % of GDP |
150 |  Estonia | 4.3 % of GDP |
151 |  Kazakhstan | 4.3 % of GDP |
152 |  Thailand | 4.3 % of GDP |
153 |  Benin | 4.2 % of GDP |
154 |  Iceland | 4.2 % of GDP |
155 |  Kyrgyzstan | 4.1 % of GDP |
156 |  Luxembourg | 4.1 % of GDP |
157 |  Sri Lanka | 4 % of GDP |
158 |  Vanuatu | 4 % of GDP |
159 |  Seychelles | 4 % of GDP |
160 |  Cabo Verde | 3.9 % of GDP |
161 |  El Salvador | 3.9 % of GDP |
162 |  Iran | 3.9 % of GDP |
163 |  Liberia | 3.9 % of GDP |
164 |  Singapore | 3.9 % of GDP |
165 |  Philippines | 3.8 % of GDP |
166 |  Ethiopia | 3.6 % of GDP |
167 |  France | 3.5 % of GDP |
168 |  Bangladesh | 3.4 % of GDP |
169 |  Comoros | 3.4 % of GDP |
170 |  Belize | 3.3 % of GDP |
171 |  Kiribati | 3.3 % of GDP |
172 |  Papua New Guinea | 3.1 % of GDP |
173 |  Brunei Darussalam | 3 % of GDP |
174 |  Congo | 3 % of GDP |
175 |  Oman | 3 % of GDP |
176 |  Syrian Arab Republic | 2.9 % of GDP |
177 |  United Arab Emirates | 2.8 % of GDP |
178 |  Pakistan | 2.6 % of GDP |
179 |  Qatar | 2.5 % of GDP |
180 |  India | 2.4 % of GDP |
181 |  Turkmenistan | 2.3 % of GDP |
182 |  Equatorial Guinea | 2.2 % of GDP |
183 |  Myanmar | 2 % of GDP |
184 |  North Korea | 2 % of GDP |
Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.
- #184North Korea
- #183Myanmar
- #182Equatorial Guinea
- #181Turkmenistan
- #180India
- #179Qatar
- #178Pakistan
- #177United Arab Emirates
- #176Syrian Arab Republic
- #175Oman
Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.
Analysis & Context
In 2012, Malta led the world in Health Expenditure (% of GDP) with a value of 16.5%. The global range for this metric was between 2.0% and 16.5%. The average health expenditure worldwide was 6.91% of GDP, providing a benchmark for comparison against individual country statistics.
Economic Prioritization and Health Expenditure
The disparity in Health Expenditure (% of GDP) among countries often reflects economic priorities and resource allocation strategies. In 2012, Malta and the United States topped the list with health expenditures of 16.5% and 16.2% respectively. These figures suggest a significant investment in healthcare infrastructure and services, likely driven by policies that prioritize public health and advanced medical technology. In contrast, Myanmar and North Korea reported the lowest expenditures at 2.0%, which may indicate limited healthcare resources and different governmental priorities.
Geopolitical and Demographic Influences
Geopolitical factors and demographic profiles also play crucial roles in shaping health expenditure. Countries like Mexico and Lesotho, with expenditures of 13.8% and 13.2% respectively, face unique health challenges that necessitate higher spending. For instance, Lesotho's high expenditure could be attributed to its efforts to combat prevalent diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Meanwhile, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have lower expenditures, at 2.5% and 2.8%, which may reflect their smaller population sizes and efficient healthcare systems that do not require extensive GDP allocation.
Healthcare Policy and Expenditure Patterns
Policy decisions are pivotal in determining how much a country spends on healthcare. In Kenya and Timor-Leste, with health expenditures of 12.2% and 12.3% respectively, government initiatives geared towards improving healthcare access and quality could explain the high percentage of GDP dedicated to health. These countries might be in the process of expanding healthcare coverage to wider segments of the population, necessitating increased funding.
Stagnant Year-over-Year Changes
Interestingly, the year-over-year changes in health expenditure as a percentage of GDP were negligible across the board in 2012, with no significant increases or decreases reported. This stagnation suggests a period of stability in global health spending, possibly due to economic conditions that did not allow for significant shifts in government budgets. Countries like Malta and the United States maintained their high expenditure levels, demonstrating a consistent commitment to healthcare investment despite economic fluctuations.
Overall, the 2012 data on Health Expenditure (% of GDP) offers valuable insights into how various countries prioritize healthcare within their economic frameworks. The figures highlight the diverse strategies and challenges faced by nations as they strive to balance economic constraints with the need for robust healthcare systems.
Data Source
CIA World Factbook
The World Factbook, also known as the CIA World Factbook, was a reference resource produced by the US Central Intelligence Agency between 1962 and 2026 with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. From 1971 it was not classified, and available to the public in print since 1975, initially by the CIA, and later the Government Publishing Office.
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