Spain: Proportion of population facing financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health expenditure (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Spain's proportion of population facing financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health expenditure (%) fell 0.35 percentage points on 2022 (from 13.06% to 12.71%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2022), the average change was +0.18 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.57 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.46 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.01 percentage points in 2020. 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 0.24 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 77% 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 13.69% 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 0.66%, against 1.33% 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, Spain had the 7th highest value of the 10 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 Spain in the 2023 ranking

• Greece — 4th of 10: 18.85%
• Bulgaria — 5th of 10: 18.75%
• Luxembourg — 6th of 10: 14.13%
• Czechia — 8th of 10: 10%
• Moldova — 9th of 10: 9.81%
• United States — 10th of 10: 6.81%

What this measures

Proportion of population spending more than 40% of household discretionary budget on out-of-pocket health expenditure (%) The discretionary budget is defined as the total household budget, measured by consumption expenditure or income, minus the societal poverty line (SPL ). Using 2017 purchasing power parities (PPPs), the SPL corresponds to whichever is greater: $2.15 (the international poverty line) or $1.15 + 50% of median household consumption expenditure or income, excluding out-of-pocket household expenditure on health. Out-of-pocket health expenditure is defined as any spending incurred by a household when any member uses a health good or service to receive any type of care (preventive, curative, rehabilitative, long-term or palliative care); provided by any type of provider; for any type of disease, illness or health condition; in any type of setting (outpatient, inpatient, at home).

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

All 19 values

Proportion of population facing financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health expenditure (%) in nearby economies

• Armenia — 23.52% (2020)
• Belarus — 12.18% (2020)
• Bulgaria — 18.75% (2023)
• Czechia — 10% (2023)
• Georgia — 27.87% (2024)
• Greece — 18.85% (2023)
• Kazakhstan — 9.77% (2018)
• Kyrgyz Republic

More health data for Spain

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 3.41% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 3.74% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 3.03 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 12.04% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 3.2 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 13.22% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 6.23 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 12.62% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 4% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, male (% of male population)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Spain's proportion of population facing financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health expenditure (%)?

12.71% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1996?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH_UHC_FH40, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Universal Health Coverage Dataset, World Health Organization (WHO); World Bank (WB), note: Universal Health Coverage Dataset 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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