Zimbabwe Health Spending
Current health expenditure as % of GDP SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS
Zimbabwe's health spending was 2.97% in 2025, ranked 175th globally. This represents a 1.4% increase from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 2010–2025.
Overview
Zimbabwe's health spending stood at 2.97% in 2025, a rise of +0.04% from 2023. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 2.97% by 2025. Zimbabwe ranked 175th globally.
Zimbabwe’s health‑spending share of gross domestic product fell from an all‑time peak of 10.48 % in 2010 to a trough of 2.67 % in 2021, before rising slightly to 2.97 % in 2025, placing it 175th out of 215 economies. The 15‑year decline reflects prolonged fiscal constraints, hyperinflation and limited public‑sector capacity, which reduced the government’s ability to fund hospitals, primary‑care networks and essential medicines. By contrast, peer countries such as Papua New Guinea (3.05 % in 2025) and Oman (2.89 % in 2025) maintain marginally higher health‑spending ratios, suggesting that modest improvements in revenue mobilisation or reallocation of budgetary resources could lift Zimbabwe’s financing closer to regional norms. Continued macro‑economic stabilization, enhanced tax collection and targeted health‑sector reforms would be required to reverse the downward trajectory and sustain incremental gains in health expenditure.
Data & projection
| Year | Health Spending | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* trend | 2.95% | - | - |
| 2025* trend | 2.97% | - | - |
| 2025 | 2.97% | +0.04% | #175 |
| 2023 | 2.93% | −0.47% | #14 |
| 2022 | 3.40% | +0.72% | #22 |
| 2021 | 2.67% | −0.28% | #4 |
| 2020 | 2.95% | −0.28% | #9 |
| 2019 | 3.23% | −1.44% | #21 |
| 2018 | 4.67% | −1.50% | #62 |
| 2017 | 6.17% | −1.08% | #96 |
| 2016 | 7.26% | −0.19% | #125 |
| 2015 | 7.45% | −0.68% | #131 |
| 2014 | 8.13% | +1.02% | #146 |
| 2013 | 7.11% | +0.19% | #125 |
| 2012 | 6.92% | −1.16% | #119 |
| 2011 | 8.08% | −2.39% | #141 |
| 2010 | 10.48% | – | #174 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Zimbabwe matched the Stagflation Risk pattern in 2024. Historically, 38% of countries showing this pattern (117 out of 307) saw health spending improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Zimbabwe's health spending was 2.97% in 2025. Ranked 175th globally. This represents a 1.4% increase from the previous year.
Zimbabwe's health spending peaked at 10.48% in 2010.
The lowest health spending in Zimbabwe was 2.67% in 2021.
Zimbabwe ranks 175th globally in health spending as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Zimbabwe's health spending is projected to reach 2.97% by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The health spending of Zimbabwe in 2025 was 2.97%. This ranks 175th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_zimbabwe_health-spending,
title = {Zimbabwe Health Spending},
url = {https://historysaid.com/zimbabwe/health-spending/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}