Germany vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Government health spending as a share of GDP
Germany
11.0%
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
9.2%
in 2025
Germany rank
2nd
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
5th
Government health spending as a share of GDP over time
- Germany
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
Germany currently reports 11.0% against 9.2% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 1.8%.
That makes Germany's figure about 1.2 times United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 71 shared years of data; in 1880 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
Germany ranks 2nd and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 5th of 59 countries.
Across the 12 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 7 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1890s | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1900s | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1910s | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.3% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1930s | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.6% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1960s | 3.7% | 3.1% | 0.6% | Germany |
| 1970s | 5.5% | 4.0% | 1.5% | Germany |
| 1980s | 6.4% | 4.5% | 1.9% | Germany |
| 1990s | 7.2% | 4.9% | 2.3% | Germany |
| 2000s | 7.8% | 6.6% | 1.2% | Germany |
| 2010s | 9.2% | 7.8% | 1.4% | Germany |
| 2020s | 10.6% | 9.3% | 1.3% | Germany |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government health spending as a share of gdp, Germany or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Germany, at 11.0% against 9.2% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in government health spending as a share of gdp between Germany and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 1.8%, with Germany ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 71 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2025.
- How do Germany and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for government health spending as a share of gdp?
- Germany ranks 2nd 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.