France vs Germany: Government health spending as a share of GDP
France
9.4%
in 2025
Germany
11.0%
in 2025
France rank
3rd
Germany rank
2nd
Government health spending as a share of GDP over time
- France
- Germany
How they compare
Germany currently reports 11.0% against 9.4% in France, a difference of 1.6%.
That makes Germany's figure about 1.2 times France's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 71 shared years of data; in 1880 it was France ahead.
France ranks 3rd and Germany ranks 2nd of 59 countries.
Across the 12 decades both report, France averaged higher in 6 and Germany in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Germany | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% | France |
| 1890s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | France |
| 1900s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | France |
| 1910s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | France |
| 1930s | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0.3% | France |
| 1960s | 3.1% | 3.7% | 0.6% | Germany |
| 1970s | 4.6% | 5.5% | 1.0% | Germany |
| 1980s | 5.8% | 6.4% | 0.6% | Germany |
| 1990s | 7.1% | 7.2% | 0.1% | Germany |
| 2000s | 8.0% | 7.8% | 0.2% | France |
| 2010s | 8.6% | 9.2% | 0.6% | Germany |
| 2020s | 9.7% | 10.6% | 1.0% | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government health spending as a share of gdp, France or Germany?
- Germany, at 11.0% against 9.4% in France as of 2025.
- What is the difference in government health spending as a share of gdp between France and Germany?
- 1.6%, with Germany ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Germany?
- 71 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2025.
- How do France and Germany rank globally for government health spending as a share of gdp?
- France ranks 3rd and Germany ranks 2nd 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.