Spain: Proportion of population facing impoverishing out-of-pocket health expenditure, based on the societal poverty line (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Spain's proportion of population facing impoverishing out-of-pocket health expenditure, based on the societal poverty line (%) fell 0.23 percentage points on 2022 (from 9.42% to 9.19%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2022), the average change was +0.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.55 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 1.28 percentage points in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.27 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 0.14 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 56% 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, Spain had the 6th 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

• Mongolia — 3rd of 10: 21.85%
• Greece — 4th of 10: 13.33%
• Luxembourg — 5th of 10: 12.58%
• Bulgaria — 7th of 10: 8.71%
• Czechia — 8th of 10: 7.24%
• United States — 9th of 10: 5.32%

What this measures

Proportion of population spending more than 100% of household discretionary budget on out-of-pocket health expenditure (%). This includes people living in poverty that are further impoverished due to out-of-pocket health expenditure as well as people who are pushed into poverty by 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 impoverishing out-of-pocket health expenditure, based on the societal poverty line (%) in nearby economies

• Armenia — 11.04% (2020)
• Belarus — 7.81% (2020)
• Bulgaria — 8.71% (2023)
• Czechia — 7.24% (2023)
• Georgia — 18.01% (2024)
• Greece — 13.33% (2023)
• Kazakhstan

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
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• 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 impoverishing out-of-pocket health expenditure, based on the societal poverty line (%)?

9.19% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1996?

It is up 3.11 percentage points from 6.08% in 1996. The highest value was 9.72% in 2019 and the lowest 6.08% in 1996.

How does Spain rank?

6th highest of 10 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in proportion of population facing impoverishing out-of-pocket health expenditure, based on the societal poverty line (%) unusual for Spain?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH_UHC_FH40_IMPOV, 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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