National sections in World Health Systems Facts include detailed subsections on health systems and policies including population health coverage, health system expenditures, financing, costs to consumers, outcomes, and much more. These include Beveridge-model systems (e.g. Sweden, UK); Bismarck-model systems (e.g. Germany, Japan); hybrid “Bev-Marck” systems (e.g. Austria, Costa Rica); and national health insurance model systems (e.g. Canada, South Korea). World Health Systems Facts currently includes sections on health systems and policies the United States and sixteen other OECD member nations:
“Overall, countries with higher health spending and higher numbers of health workers and other resources have better health outcomes, access and quality of care. However, the absolute quantity of resources invested is not a perfect predictor of better outcomes – risk factors for health and the wider social determinants of health are also critical, as is the efficient use of healthcare resources.
“The United States spent considerably more than any other country (USD 12 555 per person, adjusted for purchasing power) in 2021, and also spent the most when measured as a share of gross domestic product (GDP). Health spending per capita was also relatively high in Switzerland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands and Austria. Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica and Türkiye spent the least, at less than USD 2 000 per capita. While health spending has typically grown faster than GDP over the past decade, its share in the overall economy has fallen in most countries since the height of the pandemic, reflecting the challenging current economic climate.
“A large part of health spending is translated into wages for the workforce. The number of doctors and nurses is therefore an important indicator to monitor how resources are being used. In 2021, the number of doctors ranged from less than 2.5 per 1 000 population in Türkiye to over 5 per 1 000 in Norway, Austria, Portugal and Greece. However, numbers in Portugal and Greece are overestimated as they include all doctors licensed to practise. On average, there were just over 9 nurses per 1 000 population in OECD countries in 2021, ranging from less than 3 per 1 000 in Colombia, Türkiye and Mexico to over 18 per 1 000 in Finland, Switzerland and Norway. In Switzerland, associate professional nurses explain this high density.
“The number of hospital beds provides an indication of resources available for delivering inpatient services. COVID-19 highlighted the need to have sufficient hospital beds (particularly intensive care beds), together with enough doctors and nurses. Still, a surplus of beds may cause unnecessary use and therefore costs – notably for patients whose outcomes may not improve from intensive care. Across OECD countries, there were on average 4.3 hospital beds per 1 000 people in 2021. Over half of OECD countries reported between 3 and 8 hospital beds per 1 000 people. Korea and Japan, however, had far more hospital beds (12-13 per 1 000 people), while Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia had relatively few.”
Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.
“Four health status indicators reflect core aspects of both the quality and quantity of life. Life expectancy is a key indicator for the overall health of a population; avoidable mortality focuses on premature deaths that could have been prevented or treated. Diabetes prevalence shows morbidity for a major chronic condition; self-rated health offers a more holistic measure of mental and physical health. Figure 1.2 presents a snapshot of health status across OECD countries, and Table 1.2 provides more detailed country comparisons.
“Japan, Switzerland and Korea lead a large group of 27 OECD countries in which life expectancy at birth exceeded 80 years in 2021. A second group, including the United States, had life expectancy between 75 and 80 years. Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary and the Slovak Republic had the lowest life expectancy, at less than 75 years. While life expectancy has increased in most countries over the past decade, many of these gains were wiped out during the pandemic.
“Avoidable mortality rates (from preventable and treatable causes) were lowest in Switzerland and Japan, where fewer than 135 per 100,000 people died prematurely. Avoidable mortality rates were also relatively low (under 150 per 100,000 people) in Israel, Korea, Iceland, Australia, Italy and Luxembourg. Mexico, Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary had the highest avoidable mortality rates, at over 400 premature deaths per 100,000 people.
“Diabetes prevalence in 2021 was highest in Mexico, Türkiye, Chile and the United States, with over 10% of adults living with diabetes (data age-standardised to the world population). Prevalence rates have been broadly stable over time in many OECD countries, especially in western Europe, but they increased markedly in Türkiye and Iceland. Such upward trends are due in part to rising rates of obesity and physical inactivity.
“Almost 8% of adults considered themselves to be in poor health in 2021, on average across OECD countries. This ranged from over 13% in Korea, Japan, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Latvia and Lithuania to under 3% in Colombia, New Zealand and Canada. However, socio-cultural differences, the share of older people and differences in survey design affect cross-country comparability. People with lower incomes are generally less positive about their health than people on higher incomes in all OECD countries.
“Investing more in health systems contributes to gains in health outcomes by offering more accessible and higher-quality care. Differences in risk factors such as smoking, alcohol and obesity also explain cross-country variation in health outcomes. Social determinants of health matter too – notably income levels, better education and improved living environments.”
Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.
“Triple Billion targets are based on 46 outcome indicators to track the progress that WHO and its Member States achieve in improving population health at the country level. The indicators include 39 SDG indicators, and seven non-SDG indicators approved by WHO Member States to address country priorities during the 72nd World Health Assembly (WHA 72) in 2019 (3, 4). The close alignment between the Triple Billion and SDGs enables countries to apply Triple Billion targets in delivering their commitments on the SDGs.
“Triple Billion projections were calculated for the years 2019–2025 relative to a 2018 baseline, providing muchneeded milestones for progress made at the global, regional and country levels in providing, promoting and protecting global health. This chapter focuses on the global and regional results to date (5).
“Overall, the world has collectively achieved the healthier population billion target, but is lagging on the other two billions. Relative to 2018, there was an estimated 1.2 billion (UI: 0.9–1.4 billion) more people enjoying better health and well-being in 2023; this will likely rise to more than 1.5 billion (UI: 1.2–1.8 billion) by 2025. In contrast, there was only 0.4 billion (UI: 0.4–0.5 billion) more people in 2023 benefitting from UHC, and only 0.6 billion (0.5–0.7 billion) better protected from health emergencies. These figures will likely rise to 0.6 billion (0.5–0.6 billion) and 0.8 billion (UI: 0.6–0.9 billion) by 2025, respectively – far below the target of one billion (5).“
Source: World health statistics 2024: monitoring health for the SDGs, Sustainable Development Goals: Statistical Annex. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Last accessed June 6, 2024.
Several attempts have been made to compare national health systems, most notably the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index and the Sustainable Development Goals Health Index. For more information on those, see our section on Comparing National Health Systems.
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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.
Page last updated October 8, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.