Business Forum • 17 November, 2025 at 3:07 PM
In 2023, the EU spent €1.72 trillion on healthcare expenditure, equivalent to 10.0% of the EU's gross domestic product, according to Eurostat.
Germany recorded the highest level of current healthcare expenditure among EU countries, valued at €492 billion in 2023, followed by France (€325 billion), Italy (€179 billion) and Spain (€138 billion).
Relative to their GDP, Germany also registered the highest ratio, as current healthcare expenditure was equivalent to 11.7% of GDP. The other highest ratios were in France (11.5%), Austria and Sweden (both 11.2%). By contrast, current healthcare expenditure accounted for less than 7.0% of GDP in four EU countries: Luxembourg, Romania (both 5.7%), Hungary (6.4%) and Ireland (6.6%).
Current healthcare expenditure in the EU increased from €2,668 per person in 2014 to €3,835 in 2023, representing a 43.7% increase. The same trend was registered in all EU countries.
Between 2014 and 2023, Romania recorded the largest increase in healthcare expenditure, with average spending per inhabitant increasing by 155.6%. This ratio had also at least doubled in Bulgaria (148.9%), Lithuania (143.8%), Latvia (135.8%), Poland (116.6%), Czechia (116.2%), Estonia (114.6%) and Croatia (108.9%). The smallest increase was observed in Sweden (15.2%).