Swiss spend record 12% of GDP on health

Medication is just one area where Swiss expenditure is high. Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Switzerland spends more on healthcare than any other European country.

In 2018, Switzerland spent 11.9% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health, reported the European Statistical Office, Eurostat, on Wednesday. In comparison, Germany invested 11.5% of its GDP and the United Kingdom 10%. The EU average was 9.9%.

In terms of per capita spending, Switzerland came in second to neighbouring Liechtenstein, which spent €8,380 (CHF9,104) per person on health that year. In Switzerland it was €8,327, followed by Norway (€6,960) and Iceland (€5,280).

Luxembourg came last in the ranking, having spent just 5.3% of its GDP on healthcare. However, within the EU, its per capita spending was second only to Denmark. Along with Sweden and Germany, the outlay of those four nations ranged from €3,829-5,256 per person in 2018.

With GDP percentages of 6.2-6.7, countries at the bottom of the ranking were Latvia, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia and Hungary, ahead of Romania (5.6%).

France, Sweden, Belgium, Austria, Denmark and The Netherlands were among the leaders behind Germany, but above the EU average, with 10-11.3% of their respective GDPs.