Sweden vs United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Government health spending as a share of GDP
Sweden
9.3%
in 2025
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
9.2%
in 2025
Sweden rank
4th
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank
5th
Government health spending as a share of GDP over time
- Sweden
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 9.3% against 9.2% in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 72 shared years of data; in 1880 it was United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ahead.
Sweden ranks 4th and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 5th of 59 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Sweden averaged higher in 8 and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Sweden | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.0% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1890s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | — |
| 1900s | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.1% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1910s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1920s | 0.2% | 0.6% | 0.3% | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| 1930s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0.2% | Sweden |
| 1960s | 3.3% | 3.1% | 0.2% | Sweden |
| 1970s | 5.7% | 4.0% | 1.7% | Sweden |
| 1980s | 6.7% | 4.5% | 2.2% | Sweden |
| 1990s | 6.2% | 4.9% | 1.3% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 6.7% | 6.6% | 0.1% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 9.0% | 7.8% | 1.2% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 9.6% | 9.3% | 0.3% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher government health spending as a share of gdp, Sweden or United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Sweden, at 9.3% 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 Sweden and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 0.1%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Sweden and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- 72 years are reported by both, from 1880 to 2025.
- How do Sweden and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank globally for government health spending as a share of gdp?
- Sweden ranks 4th 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.