Health spending as a share of total government spending in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Health spending as a share of total government spending was 20.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Health spending as a share of total government spending in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 20.0% for health spending as a share of total government spending in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, health spending as a share of total government spending in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 22.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 16.0%, in 2000.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 9th out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Health spending as a share of total government spending in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.0% | — |
| 2001 | 16.3% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 16.8% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 17.0% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 17.5% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 17.7% | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 18.3% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 18.2% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 17.9% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 18.2% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 18.0% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 18.4% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 18.4% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 19.0% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 19.3% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 19.6% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 20.0% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 19.7% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 20.0% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 20.5% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 20.4% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 22.1% | +8.6% |
| 2022 | 20.7% | -6.6% |
| 2023 | 20.0% | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.4% | 16.0% | 18.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.3% | 18.0% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.8% | 20.0% | 22.1% | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More health data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.71 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.0265 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,134 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 461 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate -1.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per capita 0.0317 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate -0.0248 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0342 units per person (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is health spending as a share of total government spending in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Health spending as a share of total government spending in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 20.0% in 2023, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 22.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest health spending as a share of total government spending recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.0% in 2000.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for health spending as a share of total government spending?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 9th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is health spending as a share of total government spending rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Health spending as a share of total government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Domestic general government health expenditure expressed as a percentage of total expenditure of the general government.