GITNUXREPORT 2026

Health Care Cost Statistics

US health costs keep climbing while people feel it in their pockets, from 49% of Americans delaying or skipping care due to cost in 2023 to 12.2% of adults facing high out of pocket bills in 2021. Get the contrast across countries and categories, including $720 billion in US physician and clinical services spending in 2022 and $600 billion in the global health care AI market by 2024, to see where the money is going and what that means for affordability.

30 statistics30 sources9 sections5 min readUpdated 19 days ago

Statistic 1

$12.8 billion in U.S. spending on dental services in 2022

Statistic 2

$4,000 per capita health spending in Japan in 2020

Statistic 3

11.1% of GDP is spent on health care in France in 2022

Statistic 4

$850 billion in global oncology drug spending in 2022

Statistic 5

9.2% annual growth in global health technology market in 2023

Statistic 6

$720 billion in U.S. spending on physician and clinical services in 2022

Statistic 7

$600 billion global market for health care AI by 2024

Statistic 8

$110 billion in U.S. spending on mental health services in 2020

Statistic 9

22.6% of Americans with employer coverage have a deductible of $2,000 or more in 2023

Statistic 10

12.2% of U.S. adults had high out-of-pocket medical costs in 2021 (>10% of income)

Statistic 11

49% of U.S. adults report delaying or skipping medical care due to cost in 2023

Statistic 12

$2.2 billion in medical debt held by 23 million Americans in 2022

Statistic 13

$37.7 billion in U.S. spending on hospital administration in 2021

Statistic 14

3.2% of GDP is spent on health administration in the U.S. in 2019

Statistic 15

$1,200 average annual out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs per person in the U.S. in 2021

Statistic 16

8.0% of global health spending is on pharmaceuticals in 2021

Statistic 17

$50 billion in U.S. spending on insulin in 2021

Statistic 18

3.4% real growth in U.S. health care spending in 2022

Statistic 19

6.4% average annual growth in U.S. health spending from 2010 to 2022

Statistic 20

14.1% of U.S. GDP spent on health care in 2022

Statistic 21

$1,500 average annual deductible for single coverage in 2023

Statistic 22

4.0% of physicians in the U.S. in 2022

Statistic 23

2.9 million nurses in the U.S. in 2022

Statistic 24

$82,000 average annual salary for U.S. registered nurses in 2022

Statistic 25

40% of health care spending is on labor costs in 2021

Statistic 26

7.8% increase in health care wages in 2022 compared to 2021

Statistic 27

$12,000 per capita health spending in Switzerland in 2021

Statistic 28

$5,500 per capita health spending in Canada in 2022

Statistic 29

9.6% of GDP spent on health care in Australia in 2022

Statistic 30

0.5% average annual growth in health spending in Germany from 2010 to 2020

1/30

Sources

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Written by Priya Chandrasekaran·Edited by Sophie Moreland·Fact-checked by Rajesh Patel

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified May 11, 2026·Next review: Nov 2026

Fact-checked via 4-step process— how we build this report

01Primary Source Collection

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03AI-Powered Verification

Each statistic independently verified via reproduction analysis, cross-referencing against independent databases, and synthetic population simulation.

04Human Cross-Check

Final human editorial review of all AI-verified statistics. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

Health care costs keep climbing with little room for doubt, with US health spending growing 3.4% in 2022 and health administration alone taking 3.2% of GDP in the same country. At the same time, households feel the squeeze most sharply, since 49% of Americans report delaying or skipping care due to cost in 2023 and 12.2% had high out of pocket bills in 2021. This post brings those pressure points together, from global oncology drug spending of $850 billion in 2022 to $600 billion in health care AI market size by 2024.

Key Takeaways

$12.8 billion in U.S. spending on dental services in 2022
$4,000 per capita health spending in Japan in 2020
11.1% of GDP is spent on health care in France in 2022
22.6% of Americans with employer coverage have a deductible of $2,000 or more in 2023
12.2% of U.S. adults had high out-of-pocket medical costs in 2021 (>10% of income)
49% of U.S. adults report delaying or skipping medical care due to cost in 2023
$2.2 billion in medical debt held by 23 million Americans in 2022
$37.7 billion in U.S. spending on hospital administration in 2021
$1,200 average annual out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs per person in the U.S. in 2021
8.0% of global health spending is on pharmaceuticals in 2021
$50 billion in U.S. spending on insulin in 2021
3.4% real growth in U.S. health care spending in 2022
6.4% average annual growth in U.S. health spending from 2010 to 2022
14.1% of U.S. GDP spent on health care in 2022
$1,500 average annual deductible for single coverage in 2023

Health costs are rising worldwide while Americans face big out of pocket burdens, with 49 percent delaying care.

Market Size

1$12.8 billion in U.S. spending on dental services in 2022[1]

Verified

2$4,000 per capita health spending in Japan in 2020[2]

Directional

311.1% of GDP is spent on health care in France in 2022[3]

Verified

4$850 billion in global oncology drug spending in 2022[4]

Directional

59.2% annual growth in global health technology market in 2023[5]

Verified

6$720 billion in U.S. spending on physician and clinical services in 2022[6]

Single source

7$600 billion global market for health care AI by 2024[7]

Verified

8$110 billion in U.S. spending on mental health services in 2020[8]

Directional

Market Size Interpretation

The massive scale of U.S. spending on physician and clinical services at $720 billion in 2022 underscores how the market size for direct medical care dwarfs other categories, even as global oncology drug spending reached $850 billion that same year.

Coverage Costs

122.6% of Americans with employer coverage have a deductible of $2,000 or more in 2023[9]

Directional

212.2% of U.S. adults had high out-of-pocket medical costs in 2021 (>10% of income)[10]

Verified

Coverage Costs Interpretation

Coverage costs are hitting American households hard, with nearly one in four workers on employer plans facing a deductible of $2,000 or more in 2023, a clear sign that the financial burden of health insurance is shifting further onto employees.

Cost Drivers

149% of U.S. adults report delaying or skipping medical care due to cost in 2023[11]

Directional

2$2.2 billion in medical debt held by 23 million Americans in 2022[12]

Directional

3$37.7 billion in U.S. spending on hospital administration in 2021[13]

Single source

43.2% of GDP is spent on health administration in the U.S. in 2019[14]

Verified

Prescription Drug Costs

1$1,200 average annual out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs per person in the U.S. in 2021[15]

Verified

28.0% of global health spending is on pharmaceuticals in 2021[16]

Verified

3$50 billion in U.S. spending on insulin in 2021[17]

Verified

Prescription Drug Costs Interpretation

With Americans spending an average of $1,200

Spending Trends

13.4% real growth in U.S. health care spending in 2022[18]

Verified

Spending Trends Interpretation

The 3.4% real growth in U.S. health care spending in 2022 reflects a steady upward pressure on costs that continues to define the nation's spending trends.

Cost Trends

16.4% average annual growth in U.S. health spending from 2010 to 2022[19]

Single source

214.1% of U.S. GDP spent on health care in 2022[20]

Verified

Cost Trends Interpretation

The steady 6.4% average annual growth in U.S. health spending from 2010 to 2022 underscores a persistent upward cost trend that has driven health care to consume over 14% of the nation's GDP.

Patient Costs

1$1,500 average annual deductible for single coverage in 2023[21]

Directional

Patient Costs Interpretation

In 2023, patients face an average annual deductible of $1,500 for single coverage, meaning they must pay that amount out of pocket before their health insurance begins to cover costs.

Workforce Spend

14.0% of physicians in the U.S. in 2022[22]

Directional

22.9 million nurses in the U.S. in 2022[23]

Verified

3$82,000 average annual salary for U.S. registered nurses in 2022[24]

Single source

440% of health care spending is on labor costs in 2021[25]

Verified

57.8% increase in health care wages in 2022 compared to 2021[26]

Verified

Workforce Spend Interpretation

The 7.8% rise in healthcare wages in 2022 underscores how labor costs, already accounting for 40% of total health spending, continue to drive workforce spend upward.

Global Comparison

1$12,000 per capita health spending in Switzerland in 2021[27]

Verified

2$5,500 per capita health spending in Canada in 2022[28]

Verified

39.6% of GDP spent on health care in Australia in 2022[29]

Verified

40.5% average annual growth in health spending in Germany from 2010 to 2020[30]

Directional

How We Rate Confidence

Models

Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.

Single source

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.

AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree

Directional

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.

AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree

Verified

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.

AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree

Models

Cite This Report

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APA

Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Health Care Cost Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/health-care-cost-statistics

MLA

Priya Chandrasekaran. "Health Care Cost Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/health-care-cost-statistics.

Chicago

Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Health Care Cost Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/health-care-cost-statistics.

References

cms.gov

1cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/national-health-expenditure-data/nhe-fact-sheet
20cms.gov/data-research/statistics-trends-and-reports/national-health-expenditure-data

oecd-ilibrary.org

2oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/health-at-a-glance-2021_1e4a5b7e-en
15oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/health-at-a-glance-2023_6a7b1e98-en