China — Health spending
Health Spending (% of GDP) for China, 2000–2023.
Health spending for China was 5.94% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 24 years, from 2000 to 2023. The latest year is also the highest value on record for this series. The lowest was 3.62% in 2007 (about 1.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.26% per year.
China ranks 105 of 189 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 56%. The median for East Asia & Pacific is 5.94%, so China sits level with it. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 28%. Within East Asia & Pacific it ranks 15 of 29 economies; Solomon Islands (5.36%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 12% in 2022. That is 15% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 55 years at that pace.
Key figures
Full history — 2000 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 5.94% | +0.1 pp |
| 2022 | 5.88% | +0.6 pp |
| 2021 | 5.26% | -0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 5.5% | +0.2 pp |
| 2019 | 5.27% | +0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 5.07% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 4.97% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 4.88% | +0.0 pp |
| 2015 | 4.85% | +0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 4.7% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 4.64% | +0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 4.49% | +0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 4.27% | +0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 4.16% | -0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 4.28% | +0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 3.84% | +0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 3.62% | -0.3 pp |
| 2006 | 3.89% | -0.2 pp |
| 2005 | 4.11% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 4.23% | -0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 4.35% | +0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 4.32% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 4.2% | -0.3 pp |
| 2000 | 4.45% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was China’s Health spending in 2001?
4.2% (2001). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is China’s Health spending growing or shrinking?
Between 2000 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +33.5% in total — about 1.3% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2023: 5.94%; 2022: 5.88%; 2021: 5.26%; 2020: 5.5%; 2019: 5.27%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS — Health Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.