NHS
Spending, outcomes, and international comparison.
Section 1
NHS spending since 2000
Real-terms spending has risen by ~£120bn since 2000/01, but year-on-year growth has slowed sharply since 2010. The COVID spike to £216bn (and 9.2% of GDP) is visible in both views; the planned 2025/26 settlement returns spending close to its pre-COVID trajectory.
NHS budget — real (2024/25 £) vs nominal £
NHS as a share of GDP and total government spending
Section 2
Healthcare outcomes — the UK vs comparable countries
The UK spends more than the OECD average, but still trails Germany, France, Sweden and Japan on treatable mortality in this peer group. The Civitas International Health Care Outcomes Index (2022) ranked the UK second worst of 19 comparable nations — bottom of the league in 4 out of 16 outcome measures, and in the bottom three for 8 out of 16. The Commonwealth Fund Mirror Mirror 2024 placed the UK in the overall top three, but found the strongest health outcomes in Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand. If the UK matched the average treatable mortality rate of comparable countries, over 6,500 additional lives would be saved each year.
UK vs Germany, France, Sweden and Japan
OECD average shown for context| Metric | UK | Germany | France | Sweden | Japan | OECD avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spend (% GDP) | 11.1% | 12.3% | 11.5% | 11.3% | 10.6% | 9.3% |
| Spend per capita (USD PPP) | $6,747 | $9,365 | $7,367 | $7,871 | $5,790 | $5,967 |
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.0 | 81.1 | 83.0 | 83.4 | 84.1 | 81.1 |
| Treatable mortality (per 100k) | 71 | 66 | 48 | 47 | 49 | 77 |
| System type | Tax-funded NHS | Social insurance | Social insurance | Tax-funded | Social insurance | — |
Treatable mortality per 100,000 population
Lower is better. The UK has the highest treatable mortality rate in this peer group, despite spending more than the OECD average.
Health spending per capita (USD PPP, 2024)
Germany leads in this group; the UK spends more per head than Japan, but less than Germany, France and Sweden.
Section 3
Key findings
Sources