SCALE Healthcare Leadership Conference on October 18, 2023 at 8:00 AM-6:00 PM. Click here to register
Member Login

Total National Health Expenditures

Dashboard Overview

Total national health expenditures, US $ Trillions, 1970-2021
Total health expenditures increased moderately in 2021

Note: A constant dollar is an inflation adjusted value used to compare dollar values from one period to another. Total health expenditures represent the amount spent on health care and related activities (such as administration of insurance, health research, and public health), including expenditures from both public and private funds.

Source: KFF analysis of National Health Expenditure (NHE) data

Insert Your Thoughts
Local and federal expenditures on public health, US $Billions, 1971-2021
Federal spending on public health decreased in 2021 from 2020 but remains above pre-pandemic levels
  • Spending on public health fell from 2020 to 2021, with the sharp increase in 2020 driven by the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal public health spending decreased 42%, from $135.8 billion to $78.8 billion from 2020 to 2021. Meanwhile, state and local public health spending grew 6.1%, in line with previous years.

Note: Government public health activity includes organizing and delivering publicly provided health services such as epidemiological surveillance, inoculations, immunization/vaccination services, disease prevention programs, the operation of public health laboratories, and other such functions.

Source: KFF analysis of National Health Expenditure (NHE) data

Total national health expenditures, US $ per capita, 1970-2021
On a per capita basis, real health spending decreased slightly in 2021
  • On a per capita basis, health spending has increased in the last five decades, from $353 per person in 1970 to $12,914 in 2021. In constant 2021 dollars, the increase was from $1,951 in 1970 to $12,914 in 2021.

Note: A constant dollar is an inflation adjusted value used to compare dollar values from one period to another

Source: KFF analysis of National Health Expenditure (NHE) data

Total national health expenditures as percent of Gross Domestic Product, 1970-2021
Health spending accounts for nearly one-fifth of the U.S. economy
  • The share of the GDP devoted to health care reached 19.7% in 2020, an uptick from prior years as health spending increased and GDP decreased. In 2021, total national health expenditures as a share of GDP fell to 18.3% as the economy recovered and health spending increased moderately. Still, health expenditures represented a larger share of the economy in 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Source: KFF analysis of National Health Expenditure (NHE) data

Average annual growth rate of GDP per capita and total national health spending per capita, 1970-2021
Health spending growth slowed in recent decades but consistently exceeded GDP growth until 2021
  • From 1970 through 1980, the average annual per capita growth in the U.S. economy was 9.3% per year, compared to per capita health spending growth of 12.0%. Although health spending growth rate has since moderated, it generally continues to outpace growth of the economy. After a period of recession during the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy recovered in 2021 with GDP per capita increasing 10.6% over 2020. Per capita national health expenditures increased 2.6% from 2020-2021.

Note: 2020-2021 represents 1-year change

Source: KFF analysis of National Health Expenditure (NHE) data

Contact us for a consultation

Contact Us

Join as an Individual

Enhance the performance of your healthcare company with an Individual SCALE Membership.

JOIN US

Join as an Organization

Drive success across your organization and empower each member of your team with a SCALE Organizational Membership.

JOIN US

Elevating healthcare solutions through research and innovation on a global scale.

© 2024 EDUCATION by SCALE Healthcare.
All rights reserved. 
About
ASK AN EXPERT
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube

Let’s Collaborate

We’d love to hear from you

Log in

If you are a community member

OR

Thanks for visiting!

Put your email and we promise we won’t spam you. We have so much to show you.

Close

Join SCALE Community

We are excited for you to share in the benefits of SCALE community’s healthcare focus materials. If you are not currently a member sign up now to get unlimited access to all our materials.
Join Now
Log In
  • © 2023 All rights reserved.
Linkedin Twitter Instagram Facebook-square Youtube