Current health expenditure in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Current health expenditure was 2.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Current health expenditure in Bangladesh, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, current health expenditure in Bangladesh stood at 2.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current health expenditure in Bangladesh peaked at 2.4% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2001.
Bangladesh ranks 192nd of 193 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Current health expenditure in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1.8% | — |
| 2001 | 1.8% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 1.9% | +9.2% |
| 2003 | 2.0% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 2.0% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 2.3% | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 2.4% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 2.3% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 2.3% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 2.4% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 2.4% | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | -8.2% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 2.3% | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 2.2% | -2.0% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 2.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.5%, 48% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 2.2% is below the median for South Asia, which is 4.0%, 54% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 189 Guyana 2.5% compare
- 190 Djibouti 2.3% compare
- 191 Brunei Darussalam 2.2% compare
- 193 Lao People's Democratic Republic 1.3% compare
More health data for Bangladesh
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,153 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,062 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 35 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.8772 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0468 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.7714 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current health expenditure in Bangladesh?
- Current health expenditure in Bangladesh was 2.2% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest current health expenditure recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 2.4% in 2016.
- What is the lowest current health expenditure recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2001.
- How does Bangladesh rank for current health expenditure?
- Bangladesh ranks 192nd out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is current health expenditure rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Current health expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Level of current health expenditure expressed as a percentage of GDP. Estimates of current health expenditures include healthcare goods and services consumed during each year. This indicator does not include capital health expenditures such as buildings, machinery, IT and stocks of vaccines for emergency or outbreaks.