The cost and quality of the U.S. healthcare system is one of the most prominent issues facing everyday Americans. It is a top policy concern for voters, a key indicator of economic efficiency, and a significant driver of the national debt. The recent release of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) 2024 Health Statistics — a comprehensive source of comparable statistics on healthcare systems across OECD member countries — provides policymakers and the public with some insight on how America’s healthcare system compares to others.

The United States Spends More on Healthcare per Person than Other Wealthy Countries

The amount of resources a country allocates for healthcare varies as each country has its own political, economic, and social attributes that help determine how much it will spend. Generally, wealthier countries — such as the United States — will spend more on healthcare than countries that are less affluent. As such, it helps to compare healthcare spending in the United States to spending in other comparatively wealthy countries — those with gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita GDP above the median, relative to all OECD countries.

In 2022, the United States spent an estimated $12,742 per person on healthcare — the highest healthcare costs per capita across similar countries. For comparison, Switzerland was the second highest-spending country with $9,044 in healthcare costs per capita, while the average for wealthy OECD countries, excluding the United States, was only $6,850 per person. Such comparisons indicate that the United States spends a disproportionate amount on healthcare.