Current health expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Current health expenditure was 4.9% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Current health expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 4.9% for current health expenditure in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current health expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 5.4% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2002.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 33rd of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Current health expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 4.9% | — |
| 2001 | 4.9% | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 4.5% | -9.2% |
| 2003 | 5.4% | +21.3% |
| 2004 | 5.4% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 5.2% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 5.1% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 4.8% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 5.2% | +8.2% |
| 2010 | 5.2% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 5.1% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 4.9% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 4.7% | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 4.9% | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 5.0% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 5.0% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 4.7% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 4.5% | -3.8% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 4.9% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.0% | 4.5% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.9% | 4.5% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 4.9% | 5.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate 3.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, annual growth rate 3.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0125 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, per capita 0.0617 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate 3.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per capita 0.0147 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, annual growth rate 2.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, per capita 0.054 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current health expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Current health expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 4.9% 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2003.
- What is the lowest current health expenditure recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2002.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for current health expenditure?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 33rd out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is current health expenditure rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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.