Overview

Good health and wellbeing is important – it influences not just how a person feels, but has impacts for society as a whole. The availability and quality of health and welfare programs are central to delivering these outcomes, but difficult to evaluate. Information about expenditure on health and welfare gives an indication of the priority placed on these goods and services among all others in the economy. In Australia, more is spent on health and welfare, both in dollar terms and as a proportion of spending overall, than any other type of expenditure.

Featured summary

Total health expenditure was $241.3 billion, equating to $9,365 per person or 10.5% of total economic activity
Government health spending increased by 9.5% while non-government spending was estimated to decline by 2.4% in 2021–22
In 2021–22, spending on hospitals was $96.0 billion, a real increase of 4.6% compared with the previous year
In 2021–22, spending on primary health care was $84.1 billion, a real increase of 10.9% compared with 2020-21

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Latest findings

Total health expenditure was $241.3 billion, equating to $9,365 per person or 10.5% of total economic activity

The ratio of government health spending to government expenses increased by 1.8 percentage points compared to 2020–21

Musculoskeletal disorders accounted for the highest spending of all disease groups with $14.7 billion spent in 2020–21

Cancer and other neoplasms ($14.6 billion) and Cardiovascular diseases ($14.3 billion) ranked 2nd and 3rd highest

Australians have been receiving more MBS funded services per person over time

Pathology had the highest MBS subsidy rate in 2022