Share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare in Korea
Korea: Share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare was 33.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare in Korea, 2000–2024
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
In 2024, share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare in Korea stood at 33.7%.
That represents a change of up 6.2% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare in Korea peaked at 45.2% in 2003 and was at its lowest, 29.3%, in 2022.
Korea ranks 73rd of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare in Korea, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.3% | — |
| 2001 | 41.3% | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 40.8% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 45.2% | +11.0% |
| 2004 | 44.8% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 44.4% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 42.5% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 40.6% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 41.6% | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 39.2% | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 38.8% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 39.0% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 38.7% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 38.3% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 37.6% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 37.7% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 36.5% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 35.8% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 34.7% | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 32.8% | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 31.8% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 29.7% | -6.5% |
| 2022 | 29.3% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 31.8% | +8.5% |
| 2024 | 33.7% | +6.2% |
Korea compared with similar countries
- Korea's 33.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 16.8%, 2.0× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Korea's 33.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.2%, 2.8× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42.4% | 39.2% | 45.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.0% | 32.8% | 39.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.3% | 29.3% | 33.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Korea
More health data for Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.66 % 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 0.0118 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.76 % 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 share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare in Korea?
- Share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare in Korea was 33.7% in 2024, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare recorded in Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 45.2% in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare recorded in Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.3% in 2022.
- How does Korea rank for share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare?
- Korea ranks 73rd out of 193 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare rising or falling in Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Out-of-pocket spending on healthcare as percent of total current healthcare expenditure.