Latest Health Spending Trends and Outlook

Latest Health Spending Trends and Outlook: Balancing Resilience and Sustainability in Challenging Times examines how health spending across OECD countries has evolved following the COVID-19 pandemic and amid economic, fiscal, and geopolitical pressures. The report finds that health spending growth rebounded to an estimated 4% in 2024, exceeding pre-pandemic growth rates, while health expenditures represented an average 9.3% of GDP. It examines changes in public and private financing, prevention, long-term care, capital investment, and government budget priorities, while assessing the near-term outlook for health spending. The paper also explores how governments can improve financial sustainability through greater efficiency, stronger primary care, changes to hospital systems, digital health investments, improved data infrastructure, and responsible use of AI.