Total health expenditure as share of GDP in Italy 2005-2022
European framework
The Italian share was lower the European average, which was equal to 10.9 percent in 2020. Moreover, some of the major European economies such as France and Germany, addressed a much higher share of the GDP to healthcare. As a matter of fact, in 2022, France and Germany spent 11.9 and 12.7 percent of their GDP on health respectively.
Private healthcare spending
In the last few years, conversely with the decrease of public healthcare resources, the private spending on health increased. The private health expenditure peaked at 41 billion euros in 2021 . Specialist examinations and dental checks were the most burdening headings for Italians in terms of private healthcare costs.