Health Expenditure (% of GDP) 2017
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 |  United States | 17.1 % of GDP |
2 |  Tuvalu | 16.5 % of GDP |
3 |  Maldives | 13.7 % of GDP |
4 |  Sweden | 11.9 % of GDP |
5 |  Switzerland | 11.7 % of GDP |
6 |  France | 11.5 % of GDP |
7 |  Malawi | 11.4 % of GDP |
8 |  Germany | 11.3 % of GDP |
9 |  Austria | 11.2 % of GDP |
10 |  Cuba | 11.1 % of GDP |
11 |  Sierra Leone | 11.1 % of GDP |
12 |  New Zealand | 11 % of GDP |
13 |  Netherlands | 10.9 % of GDP |
14 |  Denmark | 10.8 % of GDP |
15 |  Belgium | 10.6 % of GDP |
16 |  Djibouti | 10.6 % of GDP |
17 |  Lesotho | 10.6 % of GDP |
18 |  Canada | 10.4 % of GDP |
19 |  Serbia | 10.4 % of GDP |
20 |  Republic of Moldova | 10.3 % of GDP |
21 |  Japan | 10.2 % of GDP |
22 |  Kiribati | 10.2 % of GDP |
23 |  Liberia | 10 % of GDP |
24 |  Paraguay | 9.8 % of GDP |
25 |  Finland | 9.7 % of GDP |
26 |  Malta | 9.7 % of GDP |
27 |  Norway | 9.7 % of GDP |
28 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9.6 % of GDP |
29 |  Portugal | 9.5 % of GDP |
30 |  Australia | 9.4 % of GDP |
31 |  Costa Rica | 9.3 % of GDP |
32 |  Eswatini | 9.3 % of GDP |
33 |  Ecuador | 9.2 % of GDP |
34 |  Italy | 9.2 % of GDP |
35 |  Slovenia | 9.2 % of GDP |
36 |  United Kingdom | 9.1 % of GDP |
37 |  Nicaragua | 9 % of GDP |
38 |  Spain | 9 % of GDP |
39 |  Iceland | 8.9 % of GDP |
40 |  Namibia | 8.9 % of GDP |
41 |  South Africa | 8.8 % of GDP |
42 |  Honduras | 8.7 % of GDP |
43 |  Uruguay | 8.6 % of GDP |
44 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 8.6 % of GDP |
45 |  Bulgaria | 8.4 % of GDP |
46 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 8.4 % of GDP |
47 |  Brazil | 8.3 % of GDP |
48 |  Afghanistan | 8.2 % of GDP |
49 |  Andorra | 8.1 % of GDP |
50 |  Greece | 8.1 % of GDP |
51 |  Slovakia | 8.1 % of GDP |
52 |  Panama | 8 % of GDP |
53 |  Chile | 7.8 % of GDP |
54 |  Ireland | 7.8 % of GDP |
55 |  Croatia | 7.8 % of GDP |
56 |  Israel | 7.8 % of GDP |
57 |  Bahamas | 7.7 % of GDP |
58 |  Haiti | 7.6 % of GDP |
59 |  Barbados | 7.5 % of GDP |
60 |  Burundi | 7.5 % of GDP |
61 |  Jordan | 7.5 % of GDP |
62 |  Rwanda | 7.5 % of GDP |
63 |  Cyprus | 7.4 % of GDP |
64 |  Czech Republic | 7.4 % of GDP |
65 |  Georgia | 7.4 % of GDP |
66 |  Hungary | 7.4 % of GDP |
67 |  South Korea | 7.4 % of GDP |
68 |  Niue | 7.4 % of GDP |
69 |  Gambia | 7.3 % of GDP |
70 |  Algeria | 7.2 % of GDP |
71 |  Colombia | 7.2 % of GDP |
72 |  Uganda | 7.2 % of GDP |
73 |  Samoa | 7.2 % of GDP |
74 |  Russia | 7.1 % of GDP |
75 |  Ukraine | 7.1 % of GDP |
76 |  Vietnam | 7.1 % of GDP |
77 |  Mozambique | 7 % of GDP |
78 |  Tunisia | 7 % of GDP |
79 |  Iran | 6.9 % of GDP |
80 |  Mali | 6.9 % of GDP |
81 |  Tajikistan | 6.9 % of GDP |
82 |  El Salvador | 6.8 % of GDP |
83 |  Comoros | 6.7 % of GDP |
84 |  Saint Lucia | 6.7 % of GDP |
85 |  Lithuania | 6.6 % of GDP |
86 |  Luxembourg | 6.6 % of GDP |
87 |  Kyrgyzstan | 6.5 % of GDP |
88 |  North Macedonia | 6.5 % of GDP |
89 |  Thailand | 6.5 % of GDP |
90 |  Estonia | 6.4 % of GDP |
91 |  Lebanon | 6.4 % of GDP |
92 |  Montenegro | 6.4 % of GDP |
93 |  Poland | 6.4 % of GDP |
94 |  Zimbabwe | 6.4 % of GDP |
95 |  Bolivia | 6.3 % of GDP |
96 |  Mexico | 6.3 % of GDP |
97 |  Guatemala | 6.2 % of GDP |
98 |  Grenada | 6.1 % of GDP |
99 |  San Marino | 6.1 % of GDP |
100 |  Azerbaijan | 6 % of GDP |
101 |  Albania | 5.9 % of GDP |
102 |  Latvia | 5.9 % of GDP |
103 |  Morocco | 5.9 % of GDP |
104 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 5.9 % of GDP |
105 |  Belize | 5.8 % of GDP |
106 |  Niger | 5.8 % of GDP |
107 |  Nepal | 5.8 % of GDP |
108 |  Uzbekistan | 5.8 % of GDP |
109 |  Belarus | 5.7 % of GDP |
110 |  Cambodia | 5.7 % of GDP |
111 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 5.7 % of GDP |
112 |  Kenya | 5.7 % of GDP |
113 |  Suriname | 5.7 % of GDP |
114 |  Egypt | 5.6 % of GDP |
115 |  Guinea | 5.6 % of GDP |
116 |  Guinea-Bissau | 5.6 % of GDP |
117 |  Romania | 5.6 % of GDP |
118 |  Tanzania | 5.6 % of GDP |
119 |  Yemen | 5.6 % of GDP |
120 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 5.5 % of GDP |
121 |  China | 5.5 % of GDP |
122 |  Dominica | 5.5 % of GDP |
123 |  Iraq | 5.5 % of GDP |
124 |  Peru | 5.5 % of GDP |
125 |  Botswana | 5.4 % of GDP |
126 |  Jamaica | 5.4 % of GDP |
127 |  Turkey | 5.4 % of GDP |
128 |  Venezuela | 5.3 % of GDP |
129 |  Congo | 5.2 % of GDP |
130 |  Guyana | 5.2 % of GDP |
131 |  Tonga | 5.2 % of GDP |
132 |  Togo | 5.2 % of GDP |
133 |  Solomon Islands | 5.1 % of GDP |
134 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 5.1 % of GDP |
135 |  Bahrain | 5 % of GDP |
136 |  Libya | 5 % of GDP |
137 |  Vanuatu | 5 % of GDP |
138 |  Burkina Faso | 5 % of GDP |
139 |  Zambia | 5 % of GDP |
140 |  Ethiopia | 4.9 % of GDP |
141 |  Singapore | 4.9 % of GDP |
142 |  Argentina | 4.8 % of GDP |
143 |  Cabo Verde | 4.8 % of GDP |
144 |  Mauritius | 4.8 % of GDP |
145 |  India | 4.7 % of GDP |
146 |  Mongolia | 4.7 % of GDP |
147 |  Philippines | 4.7 % of GDP |
148 |  Saudi Arabia | 4.7 % of GDP |
149 |  Senegal | 4.7 % of GDP |
150 |  Benin | 4.6 % of GDP |
151 |  Fiji | 4.5 % of GDP |
152 |  Dominican Republic | 4.4 % of GDP |
153 |  Kazakhstan | 4.4 % of GDP |
154 |  Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 4.3 % of GDP |
155 |  Monaco | 4.3 % of GDP |
156 |  Papua New Guinea | 4.3 % of GDP |
157 |  Central African Republic | 4.2 % of GDP |
158 |  Malaysia | 4.2 % of GDP |
159 |  Cameroon | 4.1 % of GDP |
160 |  Equatorial Guinea | 3.8 % of GDP |
161 |  Mauritania | 3.8 % of GDP |
162 |  Nigeria | 3.7 % of GDP |
163 |  United Arab Emirates | 3.6 % of GDP |
164 |  Bhutan | 3.6 % of GDP |
165 |  Chad | 3.6 % of GDP |
166 |  Ghana | 3.6 % of GDP |
167 |  Oman | 3.6 % of GDP |
168 |  Sri Lanka | 3.5 % of GDP |
169 |  Cook Islands | 3.4 % of GDP |
170 |  Gabon | 3.4 % of GDP |
171 |  Seychelles | 3.4 % of GDP |
172 |  Angola | 3.3 % of GDP |
173 |  Eritrea | 3.3 % of GDP |
174 |  Nauru | 3.3 % of GDP |
175 |  Syrian Arab Republic | 3.3 % of GDP |
176 |  Kuwait | 3 % of GDP |
177 |  Madagascar | 3 % of GDP |
178 |  Bangladesh | 2.8 % of GDP |
179 |  Indonesia | 2.8 % of GDP |
180 |  South Sudan | 2.7 % of GDP |
181 |  Brunei Darussalam | 2.6 % of GDP |
182 |  Pakistan | 2.6 % of GDP |
183 |  Myanmar | 2.3 % of GDP |
184 |  Qatar | 2.2 % of GDP |
185 |  Turkmenistan | 2.1 % of GDP |
186 |  Laos | 1.9 % of GDP |
187 |  Timor-Leste | 1.5 % of GDP |
Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.
- #187Timor-Leste
- #186Laos
- #185Turkmenistan
- #184Qatar
- #183Myanmar
- #182Pakistan
- #181Brunei Darussalam
- #180South Sudan
- #179Indonesia
- #178Bangladesh
Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.
Analysis & Context
In 2017, the country with the highest Health Expenditure (% of GDP) was the United States at 17.1%, with a global range spanning from 1.5% to 17.1% across 187 countries. The worldwide average for health expenditure during this year was 6.68%, providing a benchmark for understanding individual country investments in healthcare.
Economic Powerhouses and Health Expenditure
The United States led the world with a health expenditure of 17.1% of its GDP, reflecting its complex healthcare system, which combines high costs with extensive coverage options. This high percentage is indicative of the country's substantial investment in healthcare services, pharmaceuticals, and medical technology. In contrast, other economically advanced nations like Sweden and Switzerland spent 11.9% and 11.7% respectively. These countries, known for their robust public health systems, demonstrate that high expenditure can align with comprehensive healthcare access and quality.
Developing Nations and Limited Health Budgets
On the opposite end of the spectrum, countries such as Timor-Leste and Laos reported health expenditures of just 1.5% and 1.9% of GDP respectively. These figures reflect the limited fiscal capacity and resource allocation challenges faced by developing nations, where healthcare often competes with other critical needs such as education and infrastructure. This low investment can result in inadequate healthcare services and poorer health outcomes, underscoring the need for strategic international support and policy reform.
Unique Cases: Small Nations with High Expenditure
Interestingly, some smaller countries like Tuvalu and the Maldives ranked among the top spenders with 16.5% and 13.7% of GDP allocated to health. These high percentages may be attributed to the scale of their economies and the prioritization of health in national policy, often influenced by international aid and the necessity to address unique health challenges such as non-communicable diseases and climate-related health impacts.
Stability in Health Expenditure Trends
The year-over-year analysis for 2017 reveals a remarkable stability in health expenditure percentages, with an average change of 0.00%. Notable countries such as the United States, Tuvalu, and Maldives showed no significant shifts in their expenditure ratios. This stability might reflect established health policies and the inertia of health financing systems, where fundamental changes often require substantial policy shifts or economic shifts.
Overall, the 2017 data on Health Expenditure (% of GDP) highlights significant disparities between countries, driven by economic strength, policy priorities, and healthcare system structures. Understanding these patterns is crucial for policymakers aiming to optimize health outcomes through strategic investment and international cooperation.
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.
Visit Data SourceHistorical Data by Year
Explore Health Expenditure (% of GDP) data across different years. Compare trends and see how statistics have changed over time.