| Total global expenditure for health1 | US$ 6.5 trillion |
| Total global expenditure for health per person per year | US$ 948 |
| Country with highest total spending per person per year on health | United States (US$ 8362) |
| Country with lowest total spending per person per year on health | Eritrea (US$ 12) |
| Country with highest government spending per person per year on health | Luxembourg (US$ 6906) |
| Country with lowest government spending per person per year on health | Myanmar (US$ 2) |
| Country with highest annual out-of-pocket household spending on health | Switzerland (US$ 2412) |
| Country with lowest annual out-of-pocket household spending on health | Kiribati (US$ 0.2) |
| Average amount spent per person per year on health in countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) | US$ 4380 |
| Percentage of the world's population living in OECD countries | 18% |
| Percentage of the world's total financial resources devoted to health currently spent in OECD countries | 84% |
| WHO estimate of minimum spending per person per year needed to provide basic, life-saving services | US$ 44 |
| Number of WHO Member States where health spending – including spending by government, households and the private sector and funds provided by external donors – is lower than US$ 50 per person per year | 34 |
| Number of WHO Member States where health spending is lower than US$ 20 per person per year | 7 |
| Percentage of funds spent on health in WHO's Africa Region that has been provided by donors | 11% |
What WHO is doing in the area of health systems financing
WHO works with countries to devise ways of raising more funds for health equitably, to use the available funds efficiently, and to monitor the use of funds. It works with the international community to try to raise more, and more predictable funds for health.
Many countries need to use available funds more efficiently and raise more funds from domestic sources, but these measures would be insufficient to fill the current gap in the poorest countries. Only an increased and predictable flow of donor funding will allow them to meet basic health needs in the short to medium term.
Fig 1: Wealth and health expenditure are correlated (2009)
Fig 2: Correlation between expenditure on health and outcomes (2009)
Fig: DALYs lost by World Bank income region projected 2005
Note: The Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) is a unit measuring the amount of health lost due to disease or condition.
(1) Figures used on this factsheet are based on 2010 data.
Note that increases in US$ expenditure levels partially result from recent variations in US$ exchange rates.
For more data and indicators on health expenditure, please visit the Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED).