Norway vs South Africa: Health spending as a share of total government spending
Norway
17.4%
in 2023
South Africa
16.9%
in 2023
Norway rank
23rd
South Africa rank
25th
Health spending as a share of total government spending over time
- Norway
- South Africa
How they compare
Norway currently reports 17.4% against 16.9% in South Africa, a difference of 0.5%.
Across all 24 years both countries report, Norway has been ahead every year.
Norway ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 25th of 195 countries.
Norway has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Norway | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.9% | 12.1% | 3.8% | Norway |
| 2010s | 17.3% | 14.9% | 2.4% | Norway |
| 2020s | 17.5% | 16.9% | 0.6% | Norway |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher health spending as a share of total government spending, Norway or South Africa?
- Norway, at 17.4% against 16.9% in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in health spending as a share of total government spending between Norway and South Africa?
- 0.5%, with Norway ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Norway and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2023.
- How do Norway and South Africa rank globally for health spending as a share of total government spending?
- Norway ranks 23rd and South Africa ranks 25th of 195 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Health spending as a share of total government spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Domestic general government health expenditure expressed as a percentage of total expenditure of the general government.