Singapore vs South Africa: Health spending as a share of total government spending
Singapore
17.4%
in 2023
South Africa
16.9%
in 2023
Singapore rank
22nd
South Africa rank
25th
Health spending as a share of total government spending over time
- Singapore
- South Africa
How they compare
Singapore currently reports 17.4% against 16.9% in South Africa, a difference of 0.5%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 24 shared years of data; in 2000 it was South Africa ahead.
Singapore ranks 22nd and South Africa ranks 25th of 195 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Singapore averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Singapore | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.6% | 12.1% | 4.5% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 13.7% | 14.9% | 1.2% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 17.0% | 16.9% | 0.1% | Singapore |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher health spending as a share of total government spending, Singapore or South Africa?
- Singapore, 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 Singapore and South Africa?
- 0.5%, with Singapore ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Singapore and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2023.
- How do Singapore and South Africa rank globally for health spending as a share of total government spending?
- Singapore ranks 22nd 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.