Global health care systems comparison - Statistics & Facts

Health care is integral to a country’s well-being. Most high-income, developed countries provide or mandate universal health coverage for their people. This usually means that at least 99 percent of the population has health insurance, and some countries provide it free at point-of-service with no co-payments, like the National Health Service in the UK. Generally, though, cost-sharing is a part of the coverage to discourage unnecessary treatment and overuse of health care. Nevertheless, out-of-pocket health spending is normally restricted, such as the 385 Euro (429 U.S. dollars) deductible a year in the Netherlands. This is much less than the average deductible for an employer-sponsored single coverage plan in the U.S., which was 1,763 U.S. dollars as of 2022. That is what an average person must spend a year before their insurance kicks in and is on top of the premium paid for their health insurance. It is no wonder the U.S. public believes the biggest problem the health care system in the U.S. is facing is the cost of accessing treatment.

Health systems ranking

The Legatum Institute Foundation's most recent rating of health and health systems placed Singapore's system at the top overall out of 167 nations. Japan and South Korea took second and third, respectively. The ranking is based on the Legatum health index, which assesses how well people are doing in terms of their health and access to healthcare resources that can help them stay that way, including mortality rates, sickness and risk factors, health outcomes, and health systems. Norway's healthcare system was ranked first overall among the high-income nations in a different Commonwealth Fund ranking. The Netherlands and Australia came in second and third, respectively, while Switzerland, Canada, and the United States took the last spots. The ranking is based on five performance categories including access to care, care procedure, administrative efficiency, equity, and health outcomes.

The United States

With its higher-than-average health expenditure but lower-than-average health outcomes, the United States is often portrayed as an outlier. It is also the only high-income developed nation without universal health coverage allowing some 8.4 percent of the U.S. population to be uninsured. Due to a highly individualistic culture, achieving universal health coverage will be a challenge in the U.S. as public opinions are split on whether it is the government’s responsibility to provide coverage for all Americans. The miserable performance of the United States compared to other high-income countries has shown that the health system, as it is, is not working. When global comparisons are made, the United States alone accounted for 42 percent of total spending on health globally, which was higher than the combined spending on health by middle-income countries and low-income countries. Each country has unique healthcare needs that contribute to its healthcare spending. Comparison can be challenging to make due to the different ways in which national health systems are financed. Globally, the expense of healthcare is on the rise, and each country must come up with its own solutions for making its health system financially sustainable.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

High income country with best health system performance: Norway

Country with the highest health system satisfaction: Saudi Arabia

Worldwide biggest problem facing healthcare systems: Access to treatment & staff shortages

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Percentage of adults in select countries worldwide who agreed that many people in their country could not afford good healthcare as of 2023

Health System

Healthcare affordability in select countries worldwide 2023

Percentage of adults worldwide who stated select issues were the biggest problems facing the healthcare system in their country as of 2023

Health Policy

Leading problems in healthcare systems worldwide 2023

Physician density in select countries as of 2019 (per 1,000 population)

Healthcare Professionals

Physician density in select countries 2019

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Global Healthcare system ranking

Basic Statistic Ranking of health and health systems of countries worldwide in 2023
Ranking of health and health systems of countries worldwide in 2023
Health and health systems ranking of countries worldwide in 2023
Premium Statistic Health ranking of countries worldwide in 2023, by health index score
Health ranking of countries worldwide in 2023, by health index score
Health and health systems ranking of countries worldwide in 2023, by health index score
Premium Statistic Health care systems ranking of countries worldwide in 2023, by score
Health care systems ranking of countries worldwide in 2023, by score
Ranking of health care systems of countries worldwide in 2023, by score*
Premium Statistic Universal Health Coverage effective coverage index in 2021, by country
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Universal Health Coverage (UHC) effective coverage index worldwide in 2021, by country
Premium Statistic Top medical tourism countries by total index rating worldwide 2020
Top medical tourism countries by total index rating worldwide 2020
Top 20 destinations worldwide based on the total medical tourism index in 2020

Health system rankings: 11 select countries

Basic Statistic Health care system performance rankings of 11 select countries 2021
Health care system performance rankings of 11 select countries 2021
Health care system performance rankings of the United States compared to ten other high-income countries in 2021
Basic Statistic Access to healthcare ranking of 11 select countries' health care systems 2021
Access to healthcare ranking of 11 select countries' health care systems 2021
Access to healthcare ranking of the United States' health system compared to ten other high-income countries in 2021
Basic Statistic Health care process ranking of 11 select countries' health care systems 2021
Health care process ranking of 11 select countries' health care systems 2021
Health care process ranking of the United States' health system compared to ten other high-income countries in 2021
Basic Statistic Health care outcomes ranking of 11 select countries' health care systems 2021
Health care outcomes ranking of 11 select countries' health care systems 2021
Health care outcomes ranking of the United States' health system compared to ten other high-income countries in 2021

Global healthcare spending

Premium Statistic Health expenditure as a percentage of GDP in select countries 2022
Health expenditure as a percentage of GDP in select countries 2022
Health expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in selected countries in 2022
Premium Statistic Per capita health expenditure in selected countries 2022
Per capita health expenditure in selected countries 2022
Per capita health expenditure in selected countries in 2022 (in U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Share of total health spending worldwide in 2019, by income groups
Share of total health spending worldwide in 2019, by income groups
Distribution of total spending on health worldwide in 2019, by country income groups
Premium Statistic Gross medical cost trend worldwide in 2021-2023, by region
Gross medical cost trend worldwide in 2021-2023, by region
Gross medical cost trend rates worldwide from 2021 to 2022 with a forecast for 2023, by region
Premium Statistic Net medical cost trend worldwide in 2021-2023, by region
Net medical cost trend worldwide in 2021-2023, by region
Net medical cost trend rates worldwide from 2021 to 2022 with a forecast for 2023, by region

Health care resources: Personnel and facilities

Premium Statistic Physician density in select countries 2019
Physician density in select countries 2019
Physician density in select countries as of 2019 (per 1,000 population)
Basic Statistic Nurses per 1,000 inhabitants in selected countries 2019
Nurses per 1,000 inhabitants in selected countries 2019
Number of practicing nurses in selected countries as of 2019 (per 1,000 population)*
Basic Statistic Rate of hospitals in select countries worldwide 2020
Rate of hospitals in select countries worldwide 2020
Rate of hospitals in select countries worldwide in 2020 (per million population)
Premium Statistic Select countries by hospital bed density 2020
Select countries by hospital bed density 2020
Hospital bed density in select countries as of 2020 (per 1,000 population)
Basic Statistic Rates of intensive care beds in hospitals in select countries worldwide as of 2020
Rates of intensive care beds in hospitals in select countries worldwide as of 2020
Rates of adult intensive care beds in hospitals in select countries worldwide as of 2020 or latest year available (per 100,000 population)

Health outcomes

Premium Statistic Life expectancy in selected countries 2021
Life expectancy in selected countries 2021
Average life expectancy in selected countries as of 2021
Basic Statistic Maternal mortality rates worldwide in 2020, by country
Maternal mortality rates worldwide in 2020, by country
Maternal mortality rates worldwide in 2020, by country (per 100,000 live births)
Basic Statistic Mortality rates from preventable causes in 2019, by country
Mortality rates from preventable causes in 2019, by country
Mortality rates from preventable causes in OECD countries in 2019, by country (per 100,000 population)
Basic Statistic Mortality rates from treatable causes in 2019, by country
Mortality rates from treatable causes in 2019, by country
Mortality rates from treatable causes in OECD countries in 2019, by country (per 100,000 population)

Telehealth

Premium Statistic Insured members using telehealth services worldwide in 2021, by region
Insured members using telehealth services worldwide in 2021, by region
Share of covered people who used telehealth for physician/GP services worldwide in 2021, by region
Premium Statistic Prevalence of insurers offering telehealth services as of 2021, by region
Prevalence of insurers offering telehealth services as of 2021, by region
Share of insurers providers offering telehealth through their current plans worldwide in 2021, by region
Basic Statistic Satisfaction among physicians with telehealth in selected countries in 2022
Satisfaction among physicians with telehealth in selected countries in 2022
Share of primary care physicians who used telehealth and said they were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with practicing telehealth in selected countries in 2022
Basic Statistic Share of telehealth visits made by physicians in selected countries in 2022
Share of telehealth visits made by physicians in selected countries in 2022
Distribution of patient visits conducted via telehealth by primary physicians in a typical work week in selected countries in 2022
Premium Statistic Potential time saved through telemedicine worldwide 2023
Potential time saved through telemedicine worldwide 2023
Potential time saved per year for medical appointments through using telemedicine in selected countries worldwide as of 2023 (in minutes)

Public opinion

Basic Statistic Level of satisfaction with national health systems worldwide as of 2019, by country
Level of satisfaction with national health systems worldwide as of 2019, by country
Percentage of respondents worldwide who were satisfied with their country's national health system as of 2019, by country
Premium Statistic Quality of locally accessible healthcare in select countries worldwide 2021
Quality of locally accessible healthcare in select countries worldwide 2021
Percentage of adults in select countries worldwide who agreed that the quality of the healthcare they had access to in their country was good as of 2021
Premium Statistic Leading problems in healthcare systems worldwide 2023
Leading problems in healthcare systems worldwide 2023
Percentage of adults worldwide who stated select issues were the biggest problems facing the healthcare system in their country as of 2023
Premium Statistic Healthcare affordability in select countries worldwide 2023
Healthcare affordability in select countries worldwide 2023
Percentage of adults in select countries worldwide who agreed that many people in their country could not afford good healthcare as of 2023

Special: Europe

Basic Statistic Health ranking of European countries in 2023, by health index score
Health ranking of European countries in 2023, by health index score
Health and health systems ranking of European countries in 2023, by health index score*
Premium Statistic Healthcare expenditure as a share of GDP in European countries in 2022
Healthcare expenditure as a share of GDP in European countries in 2022
Total expenditure on health as a share of GDP in selected European countries in 2022
Premium Statistic Healthcare expenditure per capita in Europe in 2022
Healthcare expenditure per capita in Europe in 2022
Total expenditure on health per capita in European OECD countries in 2022 (in U.S. dollars purchasing power parity)
Premium Statistic Opinions on capacity of healthcare systems in select European countries 2023
Opinions on capacity of healthcare systems in select European countries 2023
Share of individuals who agreed that the healthcare system in their country is overstretched in select European countries in 2023
Premium Statistic Opinion on the length of healthcare waiting times in European countries 2023
Opinion on the length of healthcare waiting times in European countries 2023
Share of individuals who thought waiting times to get an appointment with doctors were too long in select European countries 2023
Premium Statistic Adoption of telehealth services in Europe in 2020, by country
Adoption of telehealth services in Europe in 2020, by country
Adoption rate of telehealth services in Europe in 2020, by country

Special: United States

Premium Statistic Health system ranking of states in the United States in 2023
Health system ranking of states in the United States in 2023
Health system ranking of states in the United States, by health index score
Basic Statistic Satisfaction with cost of healthcare in the U.S. 2002-2022
Satisfaction with cost of healthcare in the U.S. 2002-2022
Are you generally satisfied or dissatisfied with the total cost of health care in this country?
Basic Statistic Ratings for healthcare quality and coverage in the U.S. 2001-2022
Ratings for healthcare quality and coverage in the U.S. 2001-2022
Percentage of adults in the United States who rated the quality of health care/health care coverage in the U.S. as excellent or good from 2001 to 2022
Basic Statistic Leading problems in the U.S. healthcare system 2023
Leading problems in the U.S. healthcare system 2023
Share of individuals who said select problems were the biggest facing the health care system in the United States in 2023

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