Health Spending - Ranking 2020
In 2020, Lao PDR (2.06%), Bangladesh (2.18%), and Papua New Guinea (2.30%) ranked highest in health spending among all countries. United States ranked lowest at 18.52%.
Data & analysis
- Tuvalu — 26.67
- Nauru — 22.14
- Afghanistan — 21.13
- United States — 16.45
- Liberia — 16.20
The 2025 World Bank data on health expenditure as a percentage of GDP reveals a striking divergence between small island states and resource-rich economies. Topping the ranking, Tuvalu allocates 26.7% of its GDP to health, followed by Nauru at 22.1%, figures that reflect the high fixed costs of delivering care in remote, low-population nations where economies of scale are minimal. Afghanistan, at 21.1%, is an outlier driven by heavy donor-funded aid in a fragile state. At the bottom, Guyana spends a mere 0.9% of GDP on health, a structural consequence of its booming oil sector inflating GDP faster than public health investment can keep pace, a pattern also seen in Qatar at 1.7%. This leaderboard may be reshuffled if Guyana or Qatar face pressure to redistribute oil revenues into social services or if climate-related health crises force small island states to further increase spending.
| Rank | Country | Value | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|