In 2023, the EU spent €1 720 billion in healthcare expenditure, equivalent to 10.0% of the EU’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Germany recorded the highest level of current healthcare expenditure among EU countries, valued at €492 billion in 2023, followed by France (€325 billion), Italy (€179 billion) and Spain (€138 billion).
Relative to their GDP, Germany also registered the highest ratio, as current healthcare expenditure was equivalent to 11.7% of the GDP. The other highest ratios were in France (11.5%), Austria and Sweden (both 11.2%). By contrast, current healthcare expenditure accounted for less than 7.0% of GDP in 4 EU countries: Luxembourg, Romania (both 5.7%), Hungary (6.4%) and Ireland (6.6%).
Source dataset: hlth_sha11_hf
Current healthcare expenditure in the EU increased from €2 668 per person in 2014 to €3 835 in 2023 (+43.7%). The same trend was registered in all EU countries.
Between 2014 and 2023, Romania recorded the largest increase in overall healthcare expenditure, with average spending per inhabitant increasing by 155.6%. This ratio had also at least doubled in Bulgaria (+148.9%), Lithuania (+143.8%), Latvia (+135.8%), Poland (+116.6%), Czechia (+116.2%), Estonia (+114.6%) and Croatia (+108.9%). The smallest increase was observed in Sweden (+15.2%).
Source dataset: hlth_sha11_hf