Finland vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Government health spending as a share of GDP
Finland
8.5%
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
9.2%
in 2025
Finland rank
8th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
5th
Government health spending as a share of GDP over time
- Finland
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland currently reports 9.2% against 8.5% in Finland, a difference of 0.7%.
That makes United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's figure about 1.1 times Finland's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 72 shared years of data; in 1880 it was Finland ahead.
Finland ranks 8th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 5th of 59 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Finland averaged higher in 8 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Finland | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | Finland |
| 1890s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% | Finland |
| 1900s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.1% | Finland |
| 1910s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.1% | Finland |
| 1920s | 0.2% | 0.6% | 0.4% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1930s | 1.3% | 0.6% | 0.6% | Finland |
| 1960s | 2.6% | 3.1% | 0.5% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1970s | 4.2% | 4.0% | 0.2% | Finland |
| 1980s | 5.0% | 4.5% | 0.6% | Finland |
| 1990s | 5.6% | 4.9% | 0.7% | Finland |
| 2000s | 6.1% | 6.6% | 0.5% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2010s | 7.3% | 7.8% | 0.5% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 2020s | 8.1% | 9.3% | 1.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government health spending as a share of gdp, Finland or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at 9.2% against 8.5% in Finland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in government health spending as a share of gdp between Finland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.7%, with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 72 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2025.
- How do Finland and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for government health spending as a share of gdp?
- Finland ranks 8th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 5th of 59 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2026); OECD (1993); Lindert (1994) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Government health spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Public health expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.