Health expenditure per capita Myanmar 2010-2019
The average health expenditure per person in Myanmar reached just over 60 U.S. dollars in 2019. This was a significant increase from 2010, when the health expenditure per capita was approximately 19.6 U.S. dollars in Myanmar.
Increasing investments
Myanmar, a country which has faced political and social instability, has been striving to improve all aspects of its economy and society. Myanmar has aimed to improve its public healthcare system by increasing investments into the sector. The private healthcare sector has made huge expansions, made possible by foreign aid. Previously, for more technical services such as scans to determine a cancer diagnosis, patients would have to travel to other Southeast Asian countries. However, with increased funding and modernization Myanmar now has the equipment available to address a wider variety of healthcare needs. Having previously suffered a huge decrease in doctors and specialists, the number of doctors in Myanmar continues to fluctuate remarkably.
Comparison to other health systems
Myanmar’s health system has always fallen short compared to its ASEAN neighbors. However, in terms of the country’s health expenditure as share of the GDP, the country's spending accounted for the fourth highest share among Southeast Asian countries in 2019. Previously, Myanmar was subject to a military government which allocated insufficient funds to its health sector. Subsequently, citizens have had to pay more than other countries for their healthcare, which called for reforms within the healthcare sector. Although out of pocket costs began to reduce from the onset of 2015, they still remained higher than the global average. As well as decreasing out of pocket costs, health expenditure started to account for a larger share of the nation’s GDP.
Increasing investments
Myanmar, a country which has faced political and social instability, has been striving to improve all aspects of its economy and society. Myanmar has aimed to improve its public healthcare system by increasing investments into the sector. The private healthcare sector has made huge expansions, made possible by foreign aid. Previously, for more technical services such as scans to determine a cancer diagnosis, patients would have to travel to other Southeast Asian countries. However, with increased funding and modernization Myanmar now has the equipment available to address a wider variety of healthcare needs. Having previously suffered a huge decrease in doctors and specialists, the number of doctors in Myanmar continues to fluctuate remarkably.
Comparison to other health systems
Myanmar’s health system has always fallen short compared to its ASEAN neighbors. However, in terms of the country’s health expenditure as share of the GDP, the country's spending accounted for the fourth highest share among Southeast Asian countries in 2019. Previously, Myanmar was subject to a military government which allocated insufficient funds to its health sector. Subsequently, citizens have had to pay more than other countries for their healthcare, which called for reforms within the healthcare sector. Although out of pocket costs began to reduce from the onset of 2015, they still remained higher than the global average. As well as decreasing out of pocket costs, health expenditure started to account for a larger share of the nation’s GDP.
