Germany: Domestic general government health expenditure (% of general government expenditure)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Germany's domestic general government health expenditure (% of general government expenditure) fell 1.24 percentage points on 2022 (from 20.44% to 19.21%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.23 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 6.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.65 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.24 percentage points in 2023. 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 upward, about 0.11 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 48% 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.

How it compares

In 2023, Germany had the 14th highest value of the 183 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.

Closest to Germany in the 2023 ranking

• Panama — 11th of 183: 19.85%
• Sweden — 12th of 183: 19.45%
• New Zealand — 13th of 183: 19.21%
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 15th of 183: 19.06%
• El Salvador — 16th of 183: 18.51%
• Nicaragua — 17th of 183: 18.29%

What this measures

Public expenditure on health from domestic sources as a share of total public expenditure. It indicates the priority of the government to spend on health from own domestic public resources.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 24 values

Domestic general government health expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in nearby economies

• Albania — 12.28% (2023)
• Andorra — 15.2% (2023)
• Armenia — 5.46% (2023)
• Austria — 16.19% (2023)
• Azerbaijan — 4.26% (2023)
• Belarus — 11.73% (2023)
• Belgium — 14.93% (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina

More health data for Germany

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 4.26% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 4.61% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 5.64 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 13.35% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 5.95 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 14.43% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 11.59 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 13.89% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 4.67% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Germany's domestic general government health expenditure (% of general government expenditure)?

19.21% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 3.27 percentage points from 15.94% in 2000. The highest value was 20.44% in 2022 and the lowest 15.94% in 2000.

How does Germany rank?

14th highest of 183 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in domestic general government health expenditure (% of general government expenditure) unusual for Germany?

In 2023, Germany's domestic general government health expenditure (% of general government expenditure) fell 1.24 percentage points on 2022 (from 20.44% to 19.21%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was +0.2 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.23 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 6.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.XPD.GHED.GE.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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