Healthcare expenditure in the United Kingdom 1997-2018, by sector

Healthcare spending in the United Kingdom (UK) in both sectors has increased since 1997, although spending in the public sector has increased at a faster rate. By 2018, public healthcare expenditure in the UK stood at to 149.5 billion British pounds, compared to 34.5 billion British pounds in the private sector.

Health expenditure in the UK compared to Europe 

In 2019, the UK spent just over ten percent of its GDP on healthcare. In comparison to other European countries, this ranked the UK seventh in terms of health expenditure in 2019. Top of the list was Switzerland, which spent 12.1 percent of its’ GDP on healthcare in this year.  

Performance of the public health sector in UK 

The majority of people questioned in a survey in the UK, regard the NHS as a world class health service and remain happy with the high level of care provided by the organization. Although waiting times have been getting worse in the A&E department over the years. The NHS has been falling behind the target that 95 percent of patients should be seen within four hours of arrival. As a result, the primary reasons for dissatisfaction with the NHS among the public are the length of time required to get a GP or hospital appointment and the lack of staff.