Share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare in South Africa
South Africa: Share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare was 6.69 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare in South Africa, 2000–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare in South Africa stood at 6.69.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare in South Africa peaked at 14.46 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.66, in 2014.
That places South Africa 183rd out of 193 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.
Share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.46 | — |
| 2001 | 14.13 | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 13.56 | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 12.33 | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 11.85 | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 11.31 | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 10.58 | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 9.7 | -8.3% |
| 2008 | 8.84 | -8.9% |
| 2009 | 8.11 | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 8 | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 7.75 | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 7.72 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 7.61 | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 5.66 | -25.6% |
| 2015 | 5.74 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 5.79 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 5.83 | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 5.85 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 5.74 | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 6.43 | +12.0% |
| 2021 | 6.61 | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 6.72 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 6.69 | -0.4% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 6.69 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.11, 22% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 6.69 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.36, 21% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare 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% | 7.61 | 5.66 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.49 | 8.11 | 14.46 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.57 | 5.66 | 8 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.61 | 6.43 | 6.72 | 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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,333 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.046 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare in South Africa?
- Share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare in South Africa was 6.69 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.46 in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.66 in 2014.
- How does South Africa rank for share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare?
- South Africa ranks 183rd out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Share of out of pocket expenditure on healthcare. 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).