China's out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure) was 32.17% in 2023, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 5.99 percentage points from 38.16% in 2013.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 32.17% | 2023 |
| Five years earlier | 35.75% | 2018 |
| Ten years earlier | 38.16% | 2013 |
| Highest | 64.19% | 2001 |
| Lowest | 31.63% | 2022 |
| Average since 2014 | 34.76% | 2014–2023 |
| First recorded | 60.13% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2023, China's out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure) rose 0.55 percentage points on 2022 (from 31.63% to 32.17%).
Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was −1.3 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.82 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 4.07 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 4.7 percentage points in 2007. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.46 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 72% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 30.79% for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.77%, against 2.06% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2023, China had the 73rd highest value of the 168 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| China | 32.17% | 2023 |
| World | 17.33% | 2023 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 26% | 2023 |
| Upper middle income | 31.22% | 2023 |
Closest to China in the 2023 ranking
- Gambia, The — 70th of 168: 33.78%
- Angola — 71st of 168: 32.55%
- El Salvador — 72nd of 168: 32.49%
- Uganda — 74th of 168: 32.17%
- Serbia — 75th of 168: 32.14%
- Côte d'Ivoire — 76th of 168: 31.99%
What this measures
Share of out-of-pocket payments of total current health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments are spending on health directly out-of-pocket by households.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 24 values
| Year | Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure) |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 32.17 |
| 2022 | 31.63 |
| 2021 | 34.39 |
| 2020 | 34.79 |
| 2019 | 35.23 |
| 2018 | 35.75 |
| 2017 | 36.05 |
| 2016 | 35.91 |
| 2015 | 35.09 |
| 2014 | 36.56 |
| 2013 |
Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure) in nearby economies
- Australia — 15.85% (2023)
- Brunei Darussalam — 7.41% (2023)
- Cambodia — 60.6% (2023)
- Fiji — 8.31% (2023)
- Indonesia — 31.08% (2023)
- Japan — 12.24% (2023)
- Kiribati — 2.91% (2023)
- Korea, Rep. — 33.74% (2024)
- Lao PDR — 44.84% (2023)
More health data for China
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 3.25% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 3.46% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 101.3 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 14.67% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 115.41 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 16.12% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 216.72 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 15.41% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 5.41% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is China's out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure)?
- 32.17% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is down 27.95 percentage points from 60.13% in 2000. The highest value was 64.19% in 2001 and the lowest 31.63% in 2022.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.XPD.OOPC.CH.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), uri: http://apps.who.int/nha/database Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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