Out-of-pocket expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Out-of-pocket expenditure was 29.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 29.7% for out-of-pocket expenditure in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-pocket expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 41.5% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 27.0%, in 2017.
Latin America & Caribbean ranks 28th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 38.2% | — |
| 2001 | 39.9% | +4.3% |
| 2002 | 41.5% | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 41.5% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 40.7% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 40.7% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 39.3% | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 37.4% | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 34.9% | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 33.3% | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 31.5% | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 30.7% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 30.9% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 29.9% | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 29.8% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 28.2% | -5.1% |
| 2016 | 28.1% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 27.0% | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 28.1% | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 28.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 27.4% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 29.0% | +5.8% |
| 2022 | 29.8% | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 29.7% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 38.7% | 33.3% | 41.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.2% | 27.0% | 31.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.9% | 27.4% | 29.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More health data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Population ages 05-09, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, male, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per capita 0.033 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0344 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0369 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-pocket expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Out-of-pocket expenditure in Latin America & Caribbean was 29.7% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 41.5% in 2003.
- What is the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.0% in 2017.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for out-of-pocket expenditure?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 28th out of 47 groups with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-pocket expenditure rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of out-of-pocket payments of total current health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments are spending on health directly out-of-pocket by households.