Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure in South Africa
South Africa: Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure was 6.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure in South Africa, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure in South Africa is 6.7%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure in South Africa peaked at 14.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 2014.
That places South Africa 182nd out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.5% | — |
| 2001 | 14.1% | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 13.6% | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 12.3% | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 11.8% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 11.3% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 10.6% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 9.7% | -8.3% |
| 2008 | 8.8% | -8.9% |
| 2009 | 8.1% | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 8.0% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 7.8% | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 7.7% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 7.6% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 5.7% | -25.6% |
| 2015 | 5.7% | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 5.8% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 5.8% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 5.8% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 5.7% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 6.4% | +12.0% |
| 2021 | 6.6% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 6.7% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | -0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.9%, 22% of the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.4%, 21% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | -25.6% | 7.6% | 5.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.5% | 8.1% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.6% | 5.7% | 8.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.6% | 6.4% | 6.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % 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 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % 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 out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure in South Africa?
- Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure in South Africa was 6.7% in 2023, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 2014.
- How does South Africa rank for out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure?
- South Africa ranks 182nd out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Out-of-pocket expenditure as percentage of current health expenditure (CHE) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).