GENEVA, Dec. 12 -- Global health spending fell to 9.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022, or 9.9 percent of the global gross domestic product, marking the first real-term decline since 2000, according to the 2024 Global Health Expenditure Report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The report reveals that domestic public spending on health per capita decreased across all income groups in 2022 compared to 2021. Despite this, domestic public spending on health in 2022 remained 6 to 7 percent higher than 2019 levels in most income groups and 11 percent higher in upper-middle-income countries.

Health priority in 2022 remained above pre-pandemic levels in upper-middle and high income countries but returned to pre-pandemic levels in low and lower-middle income countries.

"While access to health services has been improving globally, using those services is driving more and more people into financial hardship or poverty," said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "UHC Day reminds us that health for all means everyone can access the health services they need without financial hardship."

The report highlights the critical role of government health spending in achieving UHC. It warns that with 4.5 billion people lacking access to basic health services and two billion facing financial hardship due to health costs, deprioritizing health spending can have dire consequences.

Out-of-pocket spending (OOPS) remains the primary source of health financing in 30 low- and lower-middle-income countries. In 20 of these countries, patients pay over half of total health spending out-of-pocket, perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

Even in high-income countries, OOPS leads to financial hardship, particularly among the poorest households.

According to recent health account data, more than a third of high-income countries reported that out-of-pocket, payment accounted for over 20 percent of total health spending.

The report, entitled Global Spending on Health Emerging from the Pandemic, was published on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, emphasizing the need for enhanced financial protection to guarantee universal access to essential health services.

  - Xinhua