TOP 10 Countries by Health Expenditure per Capita (2025)
Top 10 countries by health expenditure per capita (2025 outlook): who spends the most on care?
Health expenditure per capita shows how much a country spends on healthcare for each resident in a year. It aggregates all current (non-capital) spending on health goods and services from public budgets, social insurance, private insurance and out-of-pocket payments. In other words, it answers a simple question: who spends the most on health per person?
For this 2025 snapshot, we use the latest ranking of healthcare costs by country in current US dollars, compiled from the World Bank’s indicator “Current health expenditure per capita (current US$)” and WHO’s Global Health Expenditure Database, as summarised by World Population Review. The most recent complete year is 2022, so values here are 2022 data reported in a 2025 context.
According to this ranking, the Top 10 countries by health expenditure per capita are approximately:
- United States – $12,474 per person
- Norway – $8,693
- Switzerland – $8,049
- Netherlands – $7,358
- Austria – $7,275
- Luxembourg – $6,956
- Belgium – $6,600
- Australia – $6,597
- France – $6,517
- Iceland – $6,400
All of these countries are high-income economies with well-developed health systems, and all spend far more per person than the global average, which remains under $1,000 per capita in current US dollars.
How “health expenditure per capita” is defined
The World Bank and WHO define current health expenditure per capita as all current spending for health care goods and services, divided by the mid-year population. It covers both public and private outlays:
- Government and social health insurance spending (e.g. tax-funded systems, statutory health insurance funds).
- Compulsory and voluntary private insurance premiums.
- Out-of-pocket payments by households at the point of care (co-payments, deductibles, direct purchases of medicines and services).
It excludes capital investment (buildings, major equipment) but is widely used as the main cross-country measure of how heavily a system is financed in a given year.
Key idea: high spending per capita means a system mobilises a lot of financial resources, but it does not automatically guarantee better outcomes or universal financial protection. The mix between pooled financing and out-of-pocket payments is crucial.
Global context: a small club of big spenders
Most countries are nowhere near the Top-10 spending levels. Many low- and lower-middle-income states still spend less than $200 per person on health each year. Upper-middle-income economies are typically in the $500–$1,500 range. Among high-income countries, the OECD reports average per capita health spending (in PPP terms) of roughly $5,000, well below the levels seen in the Top-10 list above.
In this context, the Top 10 represent a small group of very high spenders. They invest large sums per resident into healthcare—but the way they structure coverage, cost-sharing and service delivery differs significantly.
The United States: the outlier at the top
The United States stands out as the global outlier. With around $12,474 per person in current health expenditure, it spends roughly 40–80% more per capita than the next tier of rich OECD countries, depending on the metric (current US$ vs PPP). Yet Americans still face significant barriers to access and financial risk:
- The system is a multi-payer mix of federal and state programmes (Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Health), employer-sponsored insurance and individual plans.
- Out-of-pocket payments remain high: deductibles, co-payments, out-of-network bills and uncovered services are common sources of medical debt.
- Despite very high spending, the US performs less well on life expectancy and avoidable mortality than many cheaper systems, highlighting efficiency and equity challenges.
Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria: high spending with universal coverage
Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Austria form the next tier of big spenders. All four spend between $7,000 and $8,700 per person and combine high outlays with broad financial protection:
- Norway finances health largely through taxes. User fees are modest and capped yearly. Access is universal, and out-of-pocket payments make up a relatively small share of total health spending.
- Switzerland uses a regulated competitive insurance model. Residents must purchase a basic package from private insurers, with subsidies for low-income households. Deductibles and co-payments are higher than in Nordic tax-funded systems but still limited compared to many non-OECD countries.
- Netherlands operates a “managed competition” system: all residents buy a standardised basic package from competing insurers, financed by a mix of contributions and community-rated premiums. Out-of-pocket costs are channelled through annual deductibles and regulated co-payments.
- Austria relies on social health insurance funds; coverage is close to universal, and most hospital care has low or no cost at the point of use. Out-of-pocket spending is concentrated in dental care, some pharmaceuticals and private services.
In these countries, high spending per capita is more closely aligned with high levels of access and protection than in the US example.
Luxembourg, Belgium, Australia, France, Iceland: diverse paths to high spending
The remaining Top-10 countries—Luxembourg, Belgium, Australia, France and Iceland—illustrate the variety of system designs that can lead to high per capita expenditure:
- Luxembourg is a small, very high-income EU state. Its per-capita spending reflects both resident coverage and a large commuting workforce; a single national fund finances a broad benefits package.
- Belgium has a social insurance system with multiple sickness funds. Patients enjoy wide provider choice, and while co-payments exist, they are moderated by ceilings and preferential schemes for vulnerable groups.
- Australia combines a tax-funded public scheme (Medicare) with voluntary private insurance and cost-sharing. Out-of-pocket payments are moderate overall but significant in areas like dental and specialist care.
- France offers extensive statutory coverage and relies on complementary insurance to top up reimbursements. Out-of-pocket shares are comparatively low, and catastrophic expenditures are rare.
- Iceland follows a Nordic tax-funded model with a small population and high per-capita income. It spends heavily on health and maintains broad coverage with capped user fees.
Why out-of-pocket spending still matters in high-spending systems
Even where total spending is very high, households can still face financial risk if the system relies heavily on out-of-pocket payments. Key questions for a 2025 health-spending map include:
- What share of spending is pooled? Systems with large tax or social-insurance pools generally offer better protection than those relying on individual payments at the point of care.
- How are benefits designed? Which services (primary care, medicines, long-term care, mental health) are covered, and with what cost-sharing?
- Who bears the out-of-pocket burden? Poor and chronically ill households are most vulnerable to catastrophic and impoverishing health spending.
The next block summarises the Top-10 countries and their spending levels in a compact table. After that, a simple bar chart visualises how far these outliers sit above the OECD average and the global mean for health expenditure per capita.
Top 10 countries by health expenditure per capita (current US$, 2022)
The table summarises the 2022 health expenditure per capita in current US dollars for the Top-10 countries, using World Bank and WHO data as compiled in a 2025 “Health Care Costs by Country” ranking. Values sum public and private spending, including compulsory insurance and out-of-pocket payments.
| Country / territory | Health expenditure per capita (current US$, 2022) | Financing model and out-of-pocket features |
|---|---|---|
|
United States Rank #1 – $12,474 per person |
$12,474 | Multi-payer system with a mix of federal and state tax-funded programmes (Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Health), employer-sponsored insurance and individual market plans. Out-of-pocket payments (deductibles, co-payments, uncovered services) remain substantial, and medical debt is a major risk despite very high total spending. |
|
Norway #2 – $8,693 per person |
$8,693 | Tax-funded national health service. Most services are publicly financed and delivered; user fees are modest and subject to annual caps. Out-of-pocket spending is a small share of total health expenditure, and financial protection is strong by international standards. |
|
Switzerland #3 – $8,049 per person |
$8,049 | Mandatory private insurance model: all residents must purchase a regulated basic package from competing insurers. Public subsidies support low-income households, but deductibles and co-payments can be relatively high, leaving a significant out-of-pocket component even at elevated spending levels. |
|
Netherlands #4 – $7,358 per person |
$7,358 | Regulated competitive insurance (“managed competition”) with a compulsory basic benefits package. Financing combines income-related contributions and community-rated premiums. Out-of-pocket costs appear mainly as annual deductibles and regulated co-payments, with a relatively low incidence of catastrophic spending. |
|
Austria #5 – $7,275 per person |
$7,275 | Social health insurance system with sectoral funds financed through wage-based contributions and public transfers. Most hospital services and many outpatient treatments have low or no co-payments. Out-of-pocket spending is concentrated in dental care, pharmaceuticals and private amenities. |
|
Luxembourg #6 – $6,956 per person |
$6,956 | Very high-income EU state with a single national health insurance fund. Contributions and taxes finance a broad benefits package. Out-of-pocket costs are relatively low overall thanks to high reimbursement rates, though supplementary insurance is common for upgraded amenities and dental care. |
|
Belgium #7 – $6,600 per person |
$6,600 | Social insurance model with multiple non-profit sickness funds under national regulation. Patients have wide provider choice; co-payments apply but are moderated by maximum billing rules and preferential schemes. Out-of-pocket spending is meaningful but generally not catastrophic for most households. |
|
Australia #8 – $6,597 per person |
$6,597 | Hybrid system combining a tax-funded universal scheme (Medicare) with voluntary private insurance. Out-of-pocket payments arise for GP and specialist services, pharmaceuticals and especially dental care, but the overall share of out-of-pocket in total health spending remains moderate relative to global norms. |
|
France #9 – $6,517 per person |
$6,517 | Social health insurance system with extensive statutory coverage and a strong complementary insurance market. Co-payments are widely used but often reimbursed by complementary plans, especially for employees. Out-of-pocket shares of total spending are comparatively low, and financial protection indicators are strong. |
|
Iceland #10 – $6,400 per person |
$6,400 | Nordic-style tax-funded system serving a small, geographically dispersed population. Most services are publicly financed; user charges apply but are capped to prevent excessive out-of-pocket burdens. High per capita spending reflects both high income levels and the fixed costs of providing comprehensive services in a small system. |
All ten systems mobilise substantial resources per person, but they differ in how costs are shared between pooled funds and households. The next block visualises the spending gap between these outliers, the OECD average and the world average.
Health expenditure per capita in 2025: Top-10 vs OECD and world averages
The bar chart below compares per-capita health spending in the Top-10 countries with two benchmarks:
- the OECD average (≈ $5,000 per person in PPP terms), and
- the approximate world average (well below $1,000 per person in current US$).
Bars use 2022 current-dollar values for the Top-10 and stylised benchmark values for OECD and world averages, scaled to make the US outlier visually evident.
How to read the spending gap
The visual gap between the United States and the rest of the Top-10, and between the Top-10 and the global mean, illustrates three structural facts about health spending in 2025:
- Concentration of high spending: only a small group of high-income countries spend more than $6,000 per person per year. For most of the world, these levels are far out of reach.
- Efficiency and equity questions: higher per-capita spending does not automatically translate into better outcomes or fairer access. System design, payment incentives and the balance between pooled financing and out-of-pocket payments all matter.
- Fiscal sustainability: ageing populations, medical technology and rising expectations put pressure on public budgets. Even wealthy countries must manage growth in health spending to keep systems fiscally sustainable.
For policymakers, the Top-10 spending map is less a league table to emulate and more a reminder that how money is spent—and who is protected from out-of-pocket risk—is at least as important as the raw dollar amount per capita.
