Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health was 18.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
18.6%
Change on year
down 2.7%
World rank
12th
of 129 countries
All-time high
20.4%
in 2021
All-time low
14.1%
in 2000
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000–2023

051015202000201120232000: 14.12001: 14.42002: 14.82003: 152004: 15.42005: 15.32006: 15.92007: 15.92008: 15.52009: 16.32010: 162011: 16.12012: 16.12013: 16.82014: 17.32015: 17.82016: 18.22017: 182018: 18.42019: 18.72020: 192021: 20.42022: 19.12023: 18.6

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

The most recent figure for proportion of total government spending on essential services, health in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 18.6%, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 2.7% on the previous year and up 11.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services, health in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 20.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 14.1%, in 2000.

That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 12th out of 129 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.

Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health (%) in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2000 to 2023.
Year Value Change
2000 14.1%
2001 14.4% +2.7%
2002 14.8% +2.4%
2003 15.0% +1.2%
2004 15.4% +3.0%
2005 15.3% -0.8%
2006 15.9% +3.8%
2007 15.9% -0.1%
2008 15.5% -2.5%
2009 16.3% +5.2%
2010 16.0% -1.4%
2011 16.1% +0.4%
2012 16.1% -0.2%
2013 16.8% +4.1%
2014 17.3% +3.4%
2015 17.8% +2.6%
2016 18.2% +2.3%
2017 18.0% -1.0%
2018 18.4% +2.1%
2019 18.7% +1.7%
2020 19.0% +1.6%
2021 20.4% +7.3%
2022 19.1% -6.0%
2023 18.6% -2.7%

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 18.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 14.2%, 1.3× the median. (54 countries reporting)
  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 18.6% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 13.6%, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15.2% 14.1% 16.3% 10
2010s 17.3% 16.0% 18.7% 10
2020s 19.3% 18.6% 20.4% 4

Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 9 Australia 20.0% compare
  2. 10 Palau 18.9% compare
  3. 11 El Salvador 18.6% compare
  4. 12 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 18.6% compare
  5. 14 New Zealand 18.2% compare
  6. 15 Iceland 18.0% compare

See the full ranking of 133 places →

More health data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is proportion of total government spending on essential services, health in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 18.6% in 2023, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services, health recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 20.4% in 2021.
What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services, health recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 14.1% in 2000.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services, health?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 12th out of 129 countries with data for 2023.
Is proportion of total government spending on essential services, health rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.2%. 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 United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-total-government-spending-on-essential-services-health-percent/united-kingdom/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/proportion-of-total-government-spending-on-essential-services-health-percent/united-kingdom/">Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Proportion of total government spending on essential services, health (%)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
133 places, 2,467 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed