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• Only Two Countries in EU Spent Less on Healthcare Than Hungary Last Year

Only Two Countries in EU Spent Less on Healthcare Than Hungary Last Year

• 28 Nov 2023 12:36 PM
• Hungary Around the Clock

Health spending as a share of GDP fell across the EU last year, but the situation in Hungary is particularly bad, according to figures published by Eurostat.

On average, EU spending on illness and health fell from 8.5% of GDP in 2021 to 8.1% last year.

The indicator was highest in France (10%), Germany (9.7%), Slovenia (8.6%), Austria (8.5%) and Belgium (7.8%), while Bulgaria (4.2%), Ireland (4.6%), Hungary (4.7%), Lithuania (4.7%) and Estonia (4.8%) had the lowest levels.

Healthcare spending fell in almost all EU countries from 2021 to 2022, with the largest decrease in Bulgaria (1.1%), followed by Hungary (0.9%), Lithuania and Ireland (both 0.8%). Only Luxembourg (0.3%) and Slovenia (0.1%) reported an increase.

Hungary continues to be among the worst performers, finishing in an even worse position than a year earlier, as only Ireland and Bulgaria spent less on healthcare than Hungary last year.

As spending on preventive medicine was only 5.3% higher this year than in 2022, Hungary can hardly expect to make a big leap in the rankings next year, HVG writes.

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Since 1995 Hungary Around the Clock has proven to be one of the most comprehensive sources of daily English-language news about Hungary. It covers ongoing domestic politics and foreign relations, as well as business and economic matters. For a free trial of HATC visit www.hatc.hu and click on 'Free Trial Subscription’.

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