{"version":1,"asset_type":"statistical_series","data_type":"time_series","slug":"europe-health-spending-by-country","url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/europe-health-spending-by-country","html_url":"https://apiardata.com/statistics/europe-health-spending-by-country/","title":"Health Spending in Europe by Country (2023)","description":"Current health expenditure as a share of GDP across 32 European countries in 2023: Germany highest at 11.7%, Liechtenstein lowest at 5.5%. Eurostat system of health accounts.","domain":"health","category":"Health","keywords":["Health","Health Expenditure","Healthcare","Europe","Eurostat"],"publisher":"Eurostat","frequency":"Annual","temporal_coverage":"2013/2023","unit":"% of GDP","last_updated":"2026-07-25","last_updated_text":"25 July 2026","data_as_of":"2023","variable_measured":"Current health expenditure as a share of GDP","license":"https://apiardata.com/data-license","is_accessible_for_free":true,"sources":[{"name":"Eurostat","url":"https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/HLTH_SHA11_HF/default/table"}],"meta":[{"label":"Frequency","value":"Annual"},{"label":"Reference year","value":"2023"},{"label":"Coverage","value":"2013–2023"},{"label":"Countries","value":"32"},{"label":"Last updated","value":"25 July 2026"}],"kpis":[{"label":"Average of the panel (2023)","value":"8.6","unit":"percent of GDP","trend":{"direction":"neutral","value":"unchanged vs 2022"}},{"label":"Highest","value":"11.7","unit":"Germany"},{"label":"Lowest","value":"5.5","unit":"Liechtenstein"},{"label":"Countries ranked","value":"32","unit":"with a published figure"}],"series":[{"key":"value","label":"Average health expenditure"}],"observation_count":11,"observations":[{"period":"2013","value":8.3},{"period":"2014","value":8.3},{"period":"2015","value":8.2},{"period":"2016","value":8.2},{"period":"2017","value":8.2},{"period":"2018","value":8.2},{"period":"2019","value":8.3},{"period":"2020","value":9.1},{"period":"2021","value":9.2},{"period":"2022","value":8.6},{"period":"2023","value":8.6}],"table":{"columns":[{"key":"rank","label":"#"},{"key":"country","label":"Country"},{"key":"value","label":"% of GDP"},{"key":"yoyChange","label":"Change vs 2022"}],"rows":[{"rank":"1","country":"Germany","value":"11.7","yoyChange":"-0.7pp"},{"rank":"2","country":"France","value":"11.5","yoyChange":"-0.4pp"},{"rank":"3","country":"Switzerland","value":"11.3","yoyChange":"+0.1pp"},{"rank":"4","country":"Sweden","value":"11.2","yoyChange":"+0.3pp"},{"rank":"5","country":"Austria","value":"11.2","yoyChange":"unchanged"},{"rank":"6","country":"Belgium","value":"10.8","yoyChange":"unchanged"},{"rank":"7","country":"Finland","value":"10.5","yoyChange":"+0.7pp"},{"rank":"8","country":"Netherlands","value":"10.0","yoyChange":"unchanged"},{"rank":"9","country":"Portugal","value":"10.0","yoyChange":"-0.6pp"},{"rank":"10","country":"Denmark","value":"9.6","yoyChange":"unchanged"},{"rank":"11","country":"Montenegro","value":"9.5","yoyChange":"-0.7pp"},{"rank":"12","country":"Slovenia","value":"9.3","yoyChange":"-0.3pp"},{"rank":"13","country":"Spain","value":"9.2","yoyChange":"-0.4pp"},{"rank":"14","country":"Malta","value":"8.7","yoyChange":"-0.6pp"},{"rank":"15","country":"Iceland","value":"8.6","yoyChange":"-0.3pp"},{"rank":"16","country":"Greece","value":"8.4","yoyChange":"-0.1pp"},{"rank":"17","country":"Czechia","value":"8.4","yoyChange":"-0.1pp"},{"rank":"18","country":"Italy","value":"8.4","yoyChange":"-0.5pp"},{"rank":"19","country":"Serbia","value":"8.0","yoyChange":"-0.6pp"},{"rank":"20","country":"Bulgaria","value":"7.9","yoyChange":"+0.3pp"},{"rank":"21","country":"Cyprus","value":"7.8","yoyChange":"-0.3pp"},{"rank":"22","country":"Estonia","value":"7.4","yoyChange":"+0.5pp"},{"rank":"23","country":"Slovakia","value":"7.4","yoyChange":"-0.3pp"},{"rank":"24","country":"Lithuania","value":"7.3","yoyChange":"unchanged"},{"rank":"25","country":"Latvia","value":"7.2","yoyChange":"-0.9pp"},{"rank":"26","country":"Poland","value":"7.1","yoyChange":"+0.5pp"},{"rank":"27","country":"Croatia","value":"7.0","yoyChange":"-0.3pp"},{"rank":"28","country":"Hungary","value":"6.4","yoyChange":"-0.3pp"},{"rank":"29","country":"Ireland","value":"6.3","yoyChange":"+0.4pp"},{"rank":"30","country":"Romania","value":"5.8","yoyChange":"-0.1pp"},{"rank":"31","country":"Luxembourg","value":"5.6","yoyChange":"unchanged"},{"rank":"32","country":"Liechtenstein","value":"5.5","yoyChange":"-0.1pp"}]},"qa":[{"question":"Which European country spends the most on healthcare?","answer":"As a share of GDP, Germany at 11.7% in 2023, followed by France, Switzerland and Sweden. The ordering changes if you measure spending per person instead: Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Nordic countries spend more per head than Germany does, because a smaller share of a larger income can still be a larger amount."},{"question":"Does spending more on health produce better outcomes?","answer":"Across this group the relationship is weak. Spain and Italy achieve some of Europe's highest life expectancies on health budgets around 9.2% and 8.4% of GDP, below the panel average of 8.6%. Above roughly 8% of GDP, how money is allocated — primary care capacity, prevention, and the share of costs falling directly on patients — predicts outcomes better than the total does."},{"question":"What does current health expenditure include?","answer":"All final consumption of healthcare goods and services in the year, whoever pays: government schemes, compulsory and voluntary insurance, and out-of-pocket payments by households. It covers curative and rehabilitative care, long-term care, medical goods including pharmaceuticals, prevention and administration. It excludes capital investment in hospitals and equipment, which is reported separately, so it understates total resources going into health systems in years of heavy construction."}]}