More News

Health Systems Characteristics

Responses from the OECD Health System Characteristics Survey are available online, providing access to the most recent information on key institutional characteristics of health systems of OECD countries, key partner and accession countries for its 2012 and 2016 editions, as well as Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries for its 2018 edition.

Universal Health Coverage

Universal Health Coverage is about everyone having access to good quality health services without suffering financial hardship. Although most OECD countries offer all their citizens affordable access to a comprehensive package of health services, they face challenges in sustaining and enhancing such universal systems.

Digitalisation of health systems can significantly improve performance and outcomes

Health systems in the OECD are under renewed financial pressure, owing to competing priorities for public funding, according to a new OECD report. The 2023 edition of OECD Health at a Glance estimates that healthcare spending in OECD countries corresponded to 9.2% of GDP in 2022, down from 9.7% in 2021. While this exceeds the 2019 levels, in 11 OECD countries, health spending as a share of GDP in 2022 was lower than in 2019.

Health Update - The OECD Newsletter on Health

This edition focuses on the release of "Embracing a One Health Framework to Fight Antimicrobial Resistance". Our report shows that without stronger One Health action – i.e. policy action encompassing people, animals, agri-food systems and the environment – AMR rates are forecasted to increase in the next three decades across OECD and EU/EEA countries, with substantial costs for health systems and economies.

Public Health Reviews

This series of OECD Reviews of Public Health provide in-depth analysis and policy recommendations to strengthen priority areas of countries’ public health systems, highlighting best practice examples that allow learning from shared experiences, and the spreading of innovative approaches.

Healthcare prices and Purchasing Power Parities

Variations in per capita health spending can be the result of differences in prices for healthcare goods and services, and in the quantity of care that individuals are using (“volume”). Eurostat and the OECD have calculated purchasing power parities and price level indexes for GDP and some 50 product groups, including health and hospitals, on a regular and timely basis.

The economic consequences of air pollution policies in Arctic Council countries - A sectoral analysis

Boosting investment in health systems will be essential to deal with future shocks, says OECD

Governments should urgently adapt their health systems to better respond to future shocks, given the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people and the global economy. Major investment is needed in the health workforce, alongside increased spending on prevention and digital infrastructure, according to a new OECD report.

G7 Health Ministerial meetings

The OECD is actively involved in the G7 Health Ministers meetings. This page reviews the issues discussed as well as the reports prepared by the OECD to inform those meetings.

TOSSD - Tracking global health expenditure in support of the SDGs