From developed countries with comprehensive healthcare systems to developing countries with little to no access to medical care, healthcare looks different all around the world. In this blog post, we'll take a look at some of the most interesting facts and statistics about healthcare around the globe.
-Did you know that Japan has the oldest population in the world? That's right—over 28% of the country's population is over the age of 65. With such a large elderly population, it's no surprise that Japan spends more on healthcare per capita than any other country in the world. In fact, in 2017, Japanese citizens spent an average of $4,857 per person on healthcare.
-The United States has the highest healthcare spending of any country in the world, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP. In 2017, Americans spent $3.5 trillion on healthcare, which equates to about 17.9% of the GDP. This is nearly double what was spent on healthcare just two decades ago.
-China has seen a dramatic increase in life expectancy over the past few decades thanks to improvements in medical care and public health initiatives. In 1970, the life expectancy in China was just 69 years. Today, it is up to 76 years. China's rapid economic growth has also led to increased spending on healthcare. In 2009, China became the second-largest spender on Global Healthcare Blog behind only the United States.
-Although Brazil has made great strides in recent years to improve access to medical care, there are still significant disparities between rural and urban areas. For instance, while 95% of urban Brazilians have access to basic sanitation, only 77% of rural Brazilians do. This disparity is one of the many factors that contribute to Brazil's high infant mortality rate—in 2016, 16 out of every 1,000 babies born in Brazil did not live to see their first birthday.
Healthcare looks different all around the world. From developed countries with comprehensive healthcare systems to developing countries with little to no access to medical care, each nation has its own unique set of challenges when it comes to providing quality care for its citizens. However, by understanding how healthcare works in different parts of the world, we can begin to develop solutions that will help improve access to quality care for everyone, regardless of where they live.
