NEW DELHI: Rich countries spent 21 times more per person on healthcare than India in 2023, even after adjusting for differences in purchasing power, according to data from the WHO.
The WHO data analysis by Our World in Data shows high-income countries spent about $7,300 per person, against $346 in India. Low-income countries spent $125 per person. The figures cover public and private healthcare spending. India’s spending was less than one-twentieth of the high-income average.
It was nearly three times the low-income average. Upper-middle-income countries spent $1,400 per person and lower-middle-income countries, $360. India’s figure was almost the same as the lower-middle-income average. The comparison uses purchasing power parity, which adjusts for differences in the prices of goods and services across countries.
WHO Global Health Expenditure Database tracks health spending across countries. India’s National Health Accounts provide a different picture in rupee terms.
Total health expenditure reached Rs 9.04 lakh crore in 2021-22, equal to 3.83% of GDP.Per-person spending was Rs 6,602 at current prices.
Government financed 48% of total health expenditure. Households paid 39.4% directly, equal to Rs 2,600 per person. India’s share of health spending rose from 28.6% in 2013-14 to 41.4% in 2019-20, before reaching 48% in 2021-22.
The household burden moved in opposite direction, falling from 64.2% to 47.1% and then 39.4%. But the latest data show that direct household payments remain a large part of healthcare financing. The spending gap also tracks differences in health outcomes. Our World in Data estimates that people in poorer countries live 16 years less on average than people in richer countries.
