Sickness and healthcare expenditure down in 2022

In 2022, social protection sickness and healthcare expenditure, measured as a percentage of GDP, stood at 8.1% at EU level, reflecting 0.4 percentage points (pp) decrease compared with 2021 (8.5%). 

Among the 24 EU countries for which 2022 estimates are available, social protection sickness and healthcare expenditure was highest in France (10.0% of GDP), Germany (9.7%), Slovenia (8.6%), Austria (8.5%) and Belgium (7.8%), while it was lowest in Bulgaria (4.2%), Ireland (4.6%), Hungary, Lithuania (both 4.7%) and Estonia (4.8%).

Source dataset: spr_exp_sum

Almost all EU countries recorded a decrease in social protection sickness and healthcare expenditure between 2021 and 2022. The largest decrease in sickness and healthcare expenditure was recorded in Bulgaria (-1.1 pp), followed by Hungary (-0.9 pp), Lithuania and Ireland (both -0.8 pp). The only EU countries to report an increase were Luxembourg (+0.3 pp) and Slovenia (+0.1 pp). Cyprus maintained its expenditure at the 2021 level. 

This information comes from early estimates on social protection expenditure, which are the main headline indicators for the European System of integrated Social Protection Statistics (ESSPROS) and are provided by the reporting countries on a voluntary basis. 

The source datasets for 2022 early estimates on social protection benefits are available on Eurostat’s thematic section on social protection statistics. The full set of social protection data for 2021 and previous years is available in the database dedicated to social protection statistics.