Britain's spending on health second lowest in G7: study

LONDON -- A report published Thursday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) of Britain provided a health check for the country's National Health Service (NHS).

ONS published a report examining how Britain's spending on healthcare compares with other countries around the world, using the latest available statistics from 2017.

In that year, Britain spent $3,647 per person on healthcare, the second lowest in the G7, with the highest spenders being France ($4,560), Germany ($5,407) and the US ($9,440). Only Italy ($3,121) spent less than Britain.

However, Britain's health spending was near the median for members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which was $3,554 per person.

The US, Switzerland, Norway, Germany and Austria were the top 5 health spenders in the OECD members, with Britain taking a center spot at 18th. The list was propped up by Mexico as the lowest health spender.

Britain spent $240 billion on healthcare in 2017, slightly above the median expenditure for OECD members, but below the median for the EU15, spanning most European Union members in western Europe.

ONS said Britain's healthcare spending fell as a percentage of the country's GDP from 9.8 percent in 2013 to 9.6 percent in 2017. At the same time the percentage rose of spending over the same period for four of the remaining six G7 countries.

The report added that in 2017 Britain spent the equivalent of $683 per person on health-related long-term care, which was less than most other northern or western European countries, but a similar amount to France and Canada.