How Much Does America Spend on Health Care?
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December 4, 2009
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)It's no surprise that health care costs are rising sharply in the United States. But exactly how much does the U.S. spend on health care, and how does its expenditure compare to those of other industrialized nations?
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an international organization of 30 developed countries, the United States spent 16 percent of its national income (GDP) on health care in 2007. This amount is by far the largest of any participating OECD nation. By comparison, Japan spent just over half that amount at 8.1 percent (in 2006), Turkey spent the lowest at 6.8 percent (in 2005) and France, the nation with the second-largest expenditure, spent 11 percent. Canada, our neighbor to the north, spent nearly 6 percent less on health care.
Here's a chart showing health expenditures of OECD nations as a share of GDP in 2007:
Read the full report from the OECD here.
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