Sweden vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Health spending as a share of total government spending
Sweden
19.5%
in 2023
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
20.0%
in 2023
Sweden rank
12th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
9th
Health spending as a share of total government spending over time
- Sweden
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 20.0% against 19.5% in Sweden, a difference of 0.5%.
Across all 24 years both countries report, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been ahead every year.
Sweden ranks 12th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 9th of 195 countries.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sweden | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.8% | 17.4% | 4.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2010s | 17.7% | 19.3% | 1.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2020s | 19.1% | 20.8% | 1.7% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher health spending as a share of total government spending, Sweden or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 20.0% against 19.5% in Sweden as of 2023.
- What is the difference in health spending as a share of total government spending between Sweden and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.5%, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2023.
- How do Sweden and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for health spending as a share of total government spending?
- Sweden ranks 12th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 9th 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.