Countries That Spend the Most on Health – Ranked

by on with No Comments
Written by Caitriona Maria
｜
Fact-checked by Warren Valdez
｜
Published on
｜
Updated on

A global ranking of countries that spend the most on health, measured by current health expenditure per capita in international dollars (PPP).

The World Health Organization (WHO) compiles internationally comparable health spending statistics through its Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED). The database is updated annually in collaboration with UN Member States and reflects the latest available national data.

It ranks countries by how much they spend on health by using a nation’s current expenditure on health per capita expressed in international dollars at purchasing power parity (PPP).

The purchasing power of a currency refers to how much of a standard set of goods and services it can buy. PPP accounts for differences in cost of living and inflation across countries.

Using PPP-converted international dollars makes it possible to directly compare health expenditures across countries, even when local prices and economic conditions vary widely.

Key findings

  • The United States spends far more per person on health than any other country.
  • Several low-income nations spend less than $100 per capita, highlighting massive global disparities.
  • Rapidly developing economies such as China and Vietnam have increased health spending sharply in recent years, though still below high-income levels.
  • High-spending countries are predominantly wealthy European nations, with small high-income states such as Monaco and Luxembourg also appearing near the top.
  • Several wealthy countries with cost-controlled healthcare systems, such as Japan and South Korea, achieve strong outcomes, including higher life expectancy, while spending far less per person.
  • Small high-income nations often rank unusually high because small populations push per-capita spending upwards.

10 lowest & highest spenders

The total national health spending includes both public and private sources.

Highest spenders

  1. USA
  2. Switzerland
  3. Norway
  4. Monaco
  5. Ireland
  6. Luxembourg
  7. Austria
  8. Germany
  9. Sweden
  10. Netherlands

Lowest spenders

  1. South Sudan
  2. Somalia
  3. Dem. Republic of Congo
  4. Madagascar
  5. Niger
  6. Burundi
  7. Ethiopia
  8. Congo
  9. Eritrea
  10. Gambia

Why the US ranks number one

The United States tops the global ranking because its healthcare system is built on high medical prices and a heavy reliance on private-sector spending.

Hospital care, prescription drugs, insurance premiums, administrative costs, and specialist services all cost significantly more than in other countries.

A large share of health financing comes from private insurance and out-of-pocket payments, which pushes total per-capita expenditure far above that of other high-income nations — even though overall health outcomes do not always match the level of spending.

Countries that spend the most on health – complete ranking

The table ranks 192 countries by their current health expenditure per capita expressed in international dollars ($) at purchasing power parity (PPP).

Some countries have been omitted due to inadequate data.

CountryPPP($)Year
Afghanistan3832022
Albania1,1862022
Algeria5472022
Andorra5,6412023
Angola2172022
Antigua and Barbuda1,4362022
Argentina2,6642022
Armenia1,8242022
Australia7,0722022
Austria7,8912023
Azerbaijan6992022
Bahamas3,0472022
Bahrain2,2572022
Bangladesh1792022
Barbados1,1722022
Belarus1,5112022
Belgium7,3882022
Belize4772022
Benin1062022
Bhutan6002022
Bolivia8312022
Bosnia and Herzegovina1,8272022
Botswana1,1322022
Brazil1,6962022
Brunei1,2422022
Bulgaria2,5702022
Burkina Faso1742022
Burundi682022
Cambodia3332022
Cameroon2022022
Canada6,8132023
Cape Verde6642022
Central African Republic1092022
Chad942022
Chile3,2872023
China1,1362022
Colombia1,6742023
Comoros3172022
Congo832022
Costa Rica1,9172022
Ivory Coast2272022
Croatia3,0552022
Cuba2,8842022
Cyprus4,8132022
Czech Republic4,4762023
DR Congo502022
Denmark7,0122023
Djibouti1542022
Dominica9312022
Dominican Republic1,0442022
Timor-Leste3412022
Ecuador9892022
Egypt7002022
El Salvador1,0852022
Equatorial Guinea4662022
Eritrea872022
Estonia3,4092022
Eswatini7622022
Ethiopia792022
Fiji5902023
Finland6,0482022
France6,8532022
Gabon4612022
Gambia892022
Georgia1,4562022
Germany7,7582023
Ghana2422022
Greece3,2982022
Grenada9192022
Guatemala7832022
Guinea1162022
Guinea-Bissau1872022
Guyana1,2292022
Haiti1072022
Honduras5572022
Hungary2,7702023
Iceland6,4752023
India2732022
Indonesia3902022
Iran9662022
Iraq4662022
Ireland8,2982022
Israel4,0092022
Italy4,9352023
Jamaica9252022
Japan5,3872022
Jordan7672022
Kazakhstan1,1292022
Kenya2482022
Kiribati3032022
Kuwait2,4152022
Kyrgyzstan3112022
Laos1892022
Latvia3,1392022
Lebanon6532022
Lesotho3652022
Liberia2242022
Libya9692022
Lithuania3,5232023
Luxembourg8,1752023
Madagascar562022
Malawi1052022
Malaysia1,2812022
Maldives2,4542022
Mali902022
Malta5,7602022
Marshall Islands7472022
Mauritania2742022
Mauritius1,5542022
Mexico1,3532022
Micronesia3782022
Moldova1,0952022
Monaco8,7652022
Mongolia1,2672022
Montenegro3,1072022
Morocco5532022
Mozambique1312022
Myanmar2422022
Namibia9302022
Nauru2,5762022
Nepal3232022
Netherlands7,5762022
New Zealand5,2142022
Nicaragua6362022
Niger682022
Nigeria2452022
North Macedonia1,8152022
Norway9,9272022
Oman1,1782022
Pakistan1792022
Palau1,9792022
Palestine6252022
Panama3,3322022
Papua New Guinea1152022
Paraguay1,2472022
Peru9422022
Philippines5692023
Poland3,4022023
Portugal4,4522023
Qatar2,3182022
Romania2,4722022
Russia2,4462022
Rwanda2222022
Saint Kitts and Nevis1,9462022
Saint Lucia8832022
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines8202022
Samoa3962022
San Marino5,8802022
São Tomé and Príncipe3042022
Saudi Arabia3,1022022
Senegal1682022
Serbia2,3732022
Seychelles1,5612022
Sierra Leone1602022
Singapore6,6582022
Slovakia3,1692022
Slovenia5,0352023
Solomon Islands1162022
Somalia442022
South Africa1,3412022
South Korea5,3502023
South Sudan392022
Spain4,7762022
Sri Lanka6112022
Sudan1222022
Suriname1,0432022
Sweden7,6592023
Switzerland10,6682022
Syria4542022
Tajikistan3642022
Tanzania932022
Thailand1,1072022
Togo1492022
Tonga5202021
Trinidad and Tobago1,8112022
Tunisia8852022
Turkey1,3872022
Turkmenistan8732022
Tuvalu1,1272022
Uganda1272022
Ukraine1,0952021
United Arab Emirates3,8142022
United Kingdom6,3722023
United States12,4342022
Uruguay2,5682022
Uzbekistan7162022
Vanuatu1382022
Venezuela1312022
Vietnam6112022
Yemen1092022
Zambia2082022
Zimbabwe962022
ff9ac22077490c5a37f7faa394ad4c57ddc1b6f80585c485980c953038610cbd?s=150&d=mp&r=g
Education writer at  | Website

Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.