OECD report: Albania has the lowest health spending per capita in Europe, 5 times less than the EU average

In 2022, Albania had per capita health spending (public + private) of only 734 euros. This was the lowest level in Europe according to the latest report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the state of health in Europe in 2024.

Per capita healthcare spending in Albania is almost 5 times lower than the EU average of 3,533 euros.

In the region, Montenegro has the highest healthcare spending, twice as much as in our country (1593 euros), followed by Serbia (1517), North Macedonia (1142 euros), Bosnia and Herzegovina (1072). Even if calculations are made with the latest CEN population of 2.42 million inhabitants, per capita spending still remains the lowest in Europe, as it does not exceed 820 euros, or 4.3 times less than in Europe.

Data shows that Switzerland leads Europe in terms of the highest level of health spending per capita with 5,630 euros per year, followed by Norway with 5,376 euros.

Among EU countries, health spending per capita was also high in Germany at 5,317 euros per capita or 50% above the EU average. Health spending in Austria and the Netherlands was also at least 25% higher than the EU average.

On the other hand, within the EU, per capita health spending was lowest in Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, at less than 1,900 euros per person. In some countries outside the EU, health spending was much lower.

For example, Turkey spent only about 1,000 euros per capita, while in Albania this figure was less than 800 euros. Albanians are also the most concerned in the Region about the high costs of health services, according to the latest “Security Meter” survey, conducted in 6 countries of the Region by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).

The results showed that 24% of Albanians were very worried about not being able to afford the financial costs of routine medical care and treatment. This concern was present to a lower extent among citizens of Bosnia 16%, Kosovo 9%, North Macedonia 16%, Montenegro 20% and Serbia, 20%.

The OECD notes that health spending in Western and Northern European countries was over five times higher than in some countries in Central, Eastern or Southern Europe.

In the period of slow growth following the global financial crisis in 2008/09, the annual growth in health expenditure per capita reached 3.4% on average in EU countries between 2015 and 2019. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, governments allocated unprecedented financial resources to the health sector to combat COVID-19 and address the consequences.

The average growth in health spending reached almost 6% in real terms in 2020 and accelerated to 9.6% in 2021 in EU countries to develop pandemic treatment options.

But after the war in Ukraine, which triggered an energy crisis and rising living costs, healthcare funding weakened.

As a result, per capita health spending fell significantly in 2022 across the EU. Preliminary estimates for 2023 point to a further contraction in health spending in around half of EU countries. The trajectory of health system spending is returning to pre-pandemic levels./Monitor