United States — Health spending
Health Spending (% of GDP) for United States, 2000–2023.
Health spending for United States was 16.69% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 24 years, from 2000 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 18.52% in 2020. The lowest was 12.49% in 2000 (about 1.3× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.27% per year.
United States ranks 3 of 189 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 2%. The median for North America is 16.69%, so United States sits level with it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 10% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 5%. Its sharpest one-year move was up 12% in 2020.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 55 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 4th of 184 in 2000 → 3rd of 188 in 2010 → 1st of 189 in 2020 → 3rd of 188 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 2000 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 16.69% | +0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 16.53% | -0.8 pp |
| 2021 | 17.35% | -1.2 pp |
| 2020 | 18.52% | +2.0 pp |
| 2019 | 16.54% | +0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 16.51% | -0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 16.64% | -0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 16.69% | +0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 16.4% | +0.3 pp |
| 2014 | 16.14% | +0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 15.95% | -0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 16.12% | -0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 16.14% | -0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 16.2% | -0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 16.2% | +1.0 pp |
| 2008 | 15.21% | +0.3 pp |
| 2007 | 14.92% | +0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 14.71% | +0.1 pp |
| 2005 | 14.58% | +0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 14.55% | +0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 14.51% | +0.5 pp |
| 2002 | 14% | +0.8 pp |
| 2001 | 13.17% | +0.7 pp |
| 2000 | 12.49% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was United States’s Health spending in 2001?
13.17% (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 United States’s Health spending growing or shrinking?
Between 2000 and 2023 the series was growing overall: +33.7% 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: 16.69%; 2022: 16.53%; 2021: 17.35%; 2020: 18.52%; 2019: 16.54%. 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.