Data / Rankings / Health spending, share of GDP / EU countries

EU countries by health spending, share of GDP

Germany had the highest health spending, share of GDP of 22 EU countries in 2021, at 12.7% of GDP. Luxembourg had the lowest, at 5.6% of GDP. The median was 9.5% of GDP. Source: the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

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Highest12.7Germany
Lowest5.6Luxembourg
Median9.522 EU countries

Map of EU countries, 2021

Austria: 12.2 % of GDPBelgium: 11.3 % of GDPCzechia: 9.2 % of GDPGermany: 12.7 % of GDPDenmark: 10.7 % of GDPEstonia: 7.5 % of GDPSpain: 10.3 % of GDPFinland: 9.9 % of GDPFrance: 12.1 % of GDPGreece: 9 % of GDPHungary: 7.3 % of GDPIreland: 6.4 % of GDPItaly: 9.3 % of GDPLithuania: 7.7 % of GDPLuxembourg: 5.6 % of GDPLatvia: 9.4 % of GDPNetherlands: 11.2 % of GDPPoland: 6.5 % of GDPPortugal: 11.2 % of GDPSweden: 11.3 % of GDPSlovenia: 9.5 % of GDPSlovakia: 7.6 % of GDP
  • Under 7.5
  • 7.5 to 9.2
  • 9.2 to 10
  • 10 to 11
  • 11 and over
  • No data
% of GDP, 2021. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: OECD, OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2021

Germany: 12.7 % of GDPGermany12.7Austria: 12.2 % of GDPAustria12.2France: 12.1 % of GDPFrance12.1Sweden: 11.3 % of GDPSweden11.3Belgium: 11.3 % of GDPBelgium11.3Portugal: 11.2 % of GDPPortugal11.2Netherlands: 11.2 % of GDPNetherlands11.2Denmark: 10.7 % of GDPDenmark10.7Spain: 10.3 % of GDPSpain10.3Finland: 9.9 % of GDPFinland9.9Slovenia: 9.5 % of GDPSlovenia9.5Latvia: 9.4 % of GDPLatvia9.4Italy: 9.3 % of GDPItaly9.3Czechia: 9.2 % of GDPCzechia9.2Greece: 9 % of GDPGreece9Lithuania: 7.7 % of GDPLithuania7.7Slovakia: 7.6 % of GDPSlovakia7.6Estonia: 7.5 % of GDPEstonia7.5Hungary: 7.3 % of GDPHungary7.3Poland: 6.5 % of GDPPoland6.5Ireland: 6.4 % of GDPIreland6.4Luxembourg: 5.6 % of GDPLuxembourg5.6Germany: 12.7 % of GDPGermany12.7Austria: 12.2 % of GDPAustria12.2France: 12.1 % of GDPFrance12.1Sweden: 11.3 % of GDPSweden11.3Belgium: 11.3 % of GDPBelgium11.3Portugal: 11.2 % of GDPPortugal11.2Netherlands: 11.2 % of GDPNetherlands11.2Denmark: 10.7 % of GDPDenmark10.7Spain: 10.3 % of GDPSpain10.3Finland: 9.9 % of GDPFinland9.9Slovenia: 9.5 % of GDPSlovenia9.5Latvia: 9.4 % of GDPLatvia9.4Italy: 9.3 % of GDPItaly9.3Czechia: 9.2 % of GDPCzechia9.2Greece: 9 % of GDPGreece9Lithuania: 7.7 % of GDPLithuania7.7Slovakia: 7.6 % of GDPSlovakia7.6Estonia: 7.5 % of GDPEstonia7.5Hungary: 7.3 % of GDPHungary7.3Poland: 6.5 % of GDPPoland6.5Ireland: 6.4 % of GDPIreland6.4Luxembourg: 5.6 % of GDPLuxembourg5.6
% of GDP. Source: OECD, OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2021
% of GDP		Change on 2020
1Germany12.7+0.2 pts
2Austria12.2+0.8 pts
3France12.1+0.2 pts
4Sweden11.3-0.1 pts
5Belgium11.3-0.2 pts
6Portugal11.2+0.6 pts
7Netherlands Series break11.2+0.2 pts
8Denmark10.70 pts
9Spain10.3-0.5 pts
10Finland9.9+0.2 pts
11Slovenia9.50 pts
12Latvia9.4+1.9 pts
13Italy9.3-0.3 pts
14Czechia9.2+0.2 pts
15Greece9-0.3 pts
16Lithuania7.7+0.3 pts
17Slovakia7.6+0.6 pts
18Estonia7.50 pts
19Hungary7.3+0.1 pts
20Poland6.50 pts
21Ireland6.4-0.5 pts
22Luxembourg5.6-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Current expenditure on health from all financing schemes, public and private, as a percentage of GDP, under the System of Health Accounts 2011. Excludes capital investment in health facilities and equipment.

The latest year is often an OECD or national estimate and is revised when final accounts arrive.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

OECD. OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_SHA%40DF_SHA&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html

Citation styles

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APA 7

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2026). OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA) (EU countries by health spending, share of GDP, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_SHA%40DF_SHA&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD

MLA 9

OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA), EU countries by health spending, share of GDP, 2021. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 12 Oct. 2026, https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_SHA%40DF_SHA&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/health-spending-share-of-gdp/eu-countries?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 2026. OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA). EU countries by health spending, share of GDP, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_SHA%40DF_SHA&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/health-spending-share-of-gdp/eu-countries?period=2021.

Harvard

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2026) OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA), EU countries by health spending, share of GDP, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_SHA%40DF_SHA&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/health-spending-share-of-gdp/eu-countries?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{organisation_eu_countries_by_health_2021,
  author = {{Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development}},
  title = {{OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD\_SHA@DF\_SHA): EU countries by health spending, share of GDP, 2021}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_SHA%40DF_SHA&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/health-spending-share-of-gdp/eu-countries?period=2021. Publisher attribution: OECD. OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD\_SHA@DF\_SHA). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ\&df[id]=DSD\_SHA\%40DF\_SHA\&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
TI  - OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA): EU countries by health spending, share of GDP, 2021
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/12
PB  - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_SHA%40DF_SHA&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/health-spending-share-of-gdp/eu-countries?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/health-spending-share-of-gdp/eu-countries?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: OECD. OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA). https://data-explorer.oecd.org/vis?df[ds]=dsDisseminateFinalDMZ&df[id]=DSD_SHA%40DF_SHA&df[ag]=OECD.ELS.HD. Accessed 2026-10-12. Data reuse terms and downstream attribution: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/terms-conditions.html.
ER  -
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest health spending, share of GDP?

Germany, with 12.7% of GDP in 2021, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Which EU country has the lowest health spending, share of GDP?

Luxembourg, with 5.6% of GDP in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD Health expenditure and financing: current expenditure on health, all financing schemes, share of GDP (DSD_SHA@DF_SHA). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Health spending, share of GDP: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings