Daily Data Insights

Bite-sized insights on how the world is changing, published every weekday.

China reduced extreme poverty rapidly, but Indonesia hasn't been far behind

A line graph comparing the reduction of extreme poverty in China and Indonesia from 1984 to 2023. The y-axis represents the percentage of people living in extreme poverty, ranging from 0% to 80%. The x-axis displays the years, from 1984 to 2023. 

In China, the blue line starts at 82% in 1984, showing a steep decline over the years, particularly after the year 2000, and reaching 1.8% in 2023. A notable spike is observed around 1998, correlating with the Indonesian riots.

In Indonesia, the red line starts at 74% in 1984, with gradual decreases throughout the years, and also reaching 1.8% in 2023, though it consistently remains slightly higher than the Chinese line. 

The title indicates that while China has made significant strides in reducing extreme poverty, Indonesia has also made noteworthy progress.

China is often the poster child for rapid reductions in poverty, and for good reason: in the early 1980s, over 90% of its population lived in extreme poverty, but by the early 2020s, that number had dropped to nearly zero.

Some people assume that China is the only reason global extreme poverty has declined. But that’s wrong: many other countries have seen dramatic reductions in poverty. Indonesia is one clear example; it’s shown alongside China on the chart.

In 1984, three-quarters of Indonesians lived on less than $2.15 per day. By 2023, this had fallen to less than 2%. While it didn’t quite match China’s decline, it has still been impressive. The number of people living in extreme poverty has fallen from 120 million to 5 million.

Note that the international poverty line is extremely low, defined as people living on less than $2.15 per day. But Indonesia has also made progress measured by higher poverty lines.

Explore progress against poverty across the world in our data explorer

Four countries that have successfully reversed democratic decline in recent years

The image displays a line chart titled "Autocratization can be turned around," which illustrates the liberal democracy index for four countries: Brazil, Poland, Thailand, and Zambia. The index ranges from 0 to 1, with 1 being the highest score.

The scores for each country decreased substantially between 2004 and 2024, but increased again afterwards.

The visual includes flags of each country next to their respective graphs. A footer provides the data source as V-Dem, dated 2025, and is credited under a Creative Commons BY license.

Several countries have recently managed to stop and even reverse the erosion of their democratic institutions.

The chart illustrates these turnarounds using the liberal democracy index from the Varieties of Democracy project. This index measures key aspects of democracy, such as the fairness of elections and checks on government power. It ranges from 0 (highly autocratic) to 1 (highly democratic).

The four countries in the chart all saw serious declines in democracy over the past 20 years—these declines are shown in red. In Thailand, democracy eroded quickly, while in Zambia, it happened more slowly.

Still, in each case, people resisted growing authoritarianism. As a result, these countries were able to partially or fully restore previous levels of liberal democracy.

These examples show that when democracy deteriorates, its fate is not sealed, and democratic institutions can be reclaimed.

Read more about how democratic decline has been reversed before in my article →

Twice as many young Brazilians die from homicide than road injuries

A bar chart presents data on estimated deaths among young Brazilians aged 15 to 49 years in 2021, highlighting the significant difference between homicides and road injuries. The left bar, representing homicides, is tall and brown, indicating 48,000 deaths. The right bar, representing road injuries, is shorter and colored green, showing 25,000 deaths. The chart's title states that twice as many young Brazilians die from homicide compared to road injuries. Below the chart, the data source is identified as IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2024), with a note explaining that death estimates can vary based on sources and the quality of death records.

Homicide rates in Brazil are among some of the highest in the world, and young people are more likely to be victims.

Another large killer of young people is road injuries. But in Brazil, the number of homicide deaths among young people is twice as high as that of road fatalities.

You can see this in the chart: an estimated 48,000 people aged 15 to 49 years died by homicide in 2021 — almost double the 25,000 who died from road injuries.

These comparisons are based on data from the IHME’s Global Burden of Disease study. Note that estimates of homicides can vary by source, as explained by my colleagues Bastian Herre and Fiona Spooner.

Explore more data on homicide rates across the world, including comparisons of different sources

The world is getting more of its electricity from renewables but less from nuclear power

The chart illustrates the share of global electricity generation by source from 1985 to 2023. Fossil fuels dominate but have declined from about 70% to under 60% in recent years. Renewables, driven by solar and wind, have grown significantly, now surpassing 30% of global electricity generation. Nuclear energy's share has declined steadily from over 15% in the 1990s to around 10%, reflecting its slower growth compared to electricity demand. Data is sourced from Ember and the Statistical Review of World Energy (2024).

The world needs to move away from fossil fuels to low-carbon power if we’re to reduce our carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

There are two key sources of low-carbon power: renewables (which include solar, wind, hydropower and others) and nuclear.

While rapid growth in solar and wind has increased the amount of power coming from renewables, a lack of enthusiasm for nuclear means it’s playing a shrinking role in the global electricity mix.

In the chart, you can see the share of global electricity coming from fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear since 1985. Since 2000, nuclear and renewables have followed very different trajectories. Back then, both categories made up a similar share of global electricity, but today, renewables make up more than three times as much: 30% compared to 9%.

The total amount of electricity produced by nuclear plants is almost exactly the same as it was two decades ago. But because the world produces much more electricity overall, its share of the electricity mix has declined.

Explore the electricity mix of different countries in our Energy Data Explorer

At the peak of the HIV epidemic, AIDS caused more than half of all deaths in some countries

The chart shows the share of all deaths caused by HIV/AIDS in Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2021. During the epidemic's peak, HIV/AIDS accounted for more than half of all deaths in some countries. A steep decline began after the mid-2000s, largely due to improved treatments. A notable drop in 2020-2021 reflects increased COVID-19 deaths impacting overall mortality proportions. Data is sourced from IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2024).

The HIV epidemic — which started in the early 1980s and continued into the 1990s — has had lasting impacts that continue today. Almost one million people still die from HIV/AIDS every year globally.

However, some countries were hit much harder than others.

In the chart, you can see the share of all deaths in a given year that were caused by HIV/AIDS in four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that were badly affected.

At the height of the epidemic, more than half of all deaths in Zimbabwe and Botswana and almost 40% in South Africa and Namibia were caused by the disease.

Thankfully, interventions to prevent the spread of HIV and treatments such as antiretroviral therapy have reduced death rates across the world. But more than one in ten deaths in these countries are still caused by AIDS today.

Read our article on antiretroviral therapy and the millions of lives it has saved →

Life satisfaction in Bhutan is comparable to other countries of similar income levels

This scatterplot compares self-reported life satisfaction (y-axis, scale 0-10) to GDP per capita (x-axis, adjusted for inflation and cost of living) across countries. Higher points on the chart indicate greater life satisfaction. Bhutan is highlighted with a red circle at around $10,000 GDP per capita and a life satisfaction score near 5. Neighboring countries with similar GDP per capita, such as Vietnam, Ecuador, and Indonesia, report higher life satisfaction (around 6). Sri Lanka and Lebanon are also marked but differ in both GDP and life satisfaction. Most countries show a positive trend between GDP per capita and life satisfaction. Data sources: World Happiness Report (2012-2024) and World Bank (2023).

In 2008, Bhutan started measuring the “Gross Happiness Index” as an official metric to track the well-being of its population. As a result, it’s often coined the “Land” or “Kingdom of Happiness”.

Bhutan tracks gross happiness with in-depth surveys, which other countries do not. How does it compare across similar metrics where we can make these comparisons? Despite its reputation, it’s actually not an outlier.

Self-reported life satisfaction is one internationally comparable metric measured in the annual World Happiness Report. Respondents in every country are asked to rate their lives based on a 10-step ladder, where 0 represents the worst possible life, and 10 is the best.

Self-reported life satisfaction tends to be higher in richer countries, although there is a spread among countries with similar gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. The chart plots one against the other.

For its income level, Bhutan has a fairly average life satisfaction score; in the global comparison, it’s about as happy as we would expect based on the incomes of people in the country.

Explore more data on levels of happiness across the world →

Most births in Europe are to mothers in their thirties

The graphic presents a line chart illustrating the shift in birth rates among older mothers in Europe. The title at the top states, "Births have shifted to older mothers in Europe," and the subtitle notes that it depicts the estimated share of total births by the age of the mother.

The vertical axis is labeled with percentages from 0% to 70%, while the horizontal axis covers years from 1950 to 2023. There are four lines representing different age groups: 

- Women aged 20-29, shown in a light gray line, which hovers around 30% in the early years and gradually declines over time.
- Women aged 30-39, depicted in a prominent brown line that crosses above 50% since 2015, indicating they became the age group with the most births.
- Women aged 40-49, represented by a light gray line, which rises slightly in recent years.
- Women aged 10-19, also shown in light gray, with minimal levels of births throughout the time period.

Annotations highlight key points: in 2015, women in their 30s surpassed other age groups in births, and in the same year, women in their 40s began having more babies than those aged 10-19. 

At the bottom of the graphic, the data source is cited as "UN, World Population Prospects (2024)," along with a copyright indication "CC BY."

For many decades, most children in Europe were born to mothers in their twenties. However, since the mid-1970s, there has been a steady increase in the number of women giving birth in their thirties.

As the chart shows, since 2015, women in their thirties have given birth to the greatest number of babies; in the same year, it became more common for a woman in her forties to give birth than for women in their teens.

Many factors are causing these changes, including women spending more years in education and developing their careers, easily accessible contraception, improvements in fertility treatment, and high childcare costs.

Explore at what age women are having children in your country

European countries use far less antibiotics in livestock than they used to

This chart illustrates the percentage reduction in antimicrobial sales (tonnes of active ingredients) used for livestock in selected European countries between 2010 and 2022. The Netherlands achieved the largest reduction (-76%), followed by France (-75%), Italy (-70%), the United Kingdom (-60%), Spain (-43%), and Denmark (-32%). Data source: European Medicines Agency (2023). Note: Only a subset of European countries is highlighted for example purposes.

Antibiotics can play an important role in preventing disease and improving the health of animals. But overusing them, particularly for livestock, poses a risk to human health through antibiotic resistance.

Over the last decade, Europe has made much progress in reducing antibiotic use in farm animals. This has been achieved through stricter regulations and, in some countries, taxes on antibiotics.

The chart shows the change in sales of these antimicrobials for livestock between 2010 and 2022. It shows a range of European countries, with a few examples highlighted in bold.

Antibiotic use has fallen by over half in some countries, such as the UK, Italy, France, and the Netherlands.

These countries have still managed to maintain productive agricultural sectors by focusing on other ways to manage disease risk and animal growth, such as vaccinations, ventilation, cleaner equipment, and high-quality diets.

Read more about the differences in antibiotic use for livestock across the world →

February was cooler in 2025 than in 2024 — but the long-term trend is still warming

A line graph shows temperature variations for February from 1950 to 2025, with a focus on the changes due to climate phenomena. The y-axis represents temperature deviations in degrees Celsius, ranging from -1°C to 1°C. Different colored dots represent data from various years, categorized into phases: Strong La Niña (dark blue), La Niña (blue), Neutral (gray), El Niño (orange), and Strong El Niño (red). 

The text notes that February 2025, marked by a dark blue dot, is cooler than February 2024, indicated by an orange dot, as the La Niña phase has replaced El Niño. An explanatory note emphasizes that typically, months in a La Niña year are cooler than the same months in the preceding El Niño year. 

Data sources include modified information from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (2025) and the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2025). The graph is licensed under CC BY.

January 2025 was the hottest January on record. This was surprising because the world recently transitioned from El Niño (which tends to increase global temperatures) to La Niña (which tends to cool them). We might have expected this cooling to be reflected in January’s temperatures. It was not.

But February did not follow this same pattern.

The chart tracks monthly temperature anomalies, comparing current temperatures to historical averages. Each dot represents a February anomaly, with El Niño (warmer) years in orange and red and La Niña (cooler) years in blue.

As expected, February 2025 cooled compared to February 2024, following the usual pattern where La Niña years tend to be cooler than the El Niño years before them.

However, this doesn’t mean global warming has slowed. Recent La Niña years are still warmer than El Niño years from just a few decades ago, showing that even natural climate fluctuations don’t reverse the long-term warming trend.

We update this data monthly so you can track how these patterns evolve.

Read our recent article that explains in more detail how the world is warming despite natural fluctuations from the El Niño cycle

Women live longer than men, but how much longer varies widely around the world

A world map illustrates the differences in life expectancy between females and males at birth in 2023. Areas shaded in darker purple indicate a greater male life expectancy compared to females, while lighter shades represent regions with higher female life expectancy. Notable data points include Ukraine with a difference of 13.3 years, Russia at 11.8 years, Togo at 0.4 years, and Nigeria at 0.6 years. The data source is the Human Mortality Database (2024) and UN World Population Prospects (2024). The map is attributed with a CC BY license and published by Our World in Data.

In every country in the world, women live longer than men — but the size of this gap in life expectancy varies widely.

The difference is striking in some countries, like Russia and Ukraine, where women’s life expectancy is over 10 years longer. Their gaps have been wide due to higher death rates in young and middle-aged men — often due to alcohol use, smoking, and other risks. The war in Ukraine has widened this gap further, as men face high mortality from conflict.

The gap is much smaller in other countries, including in West Africa and South Asia. There are likely multiple reasons for this, including higher rates of maternal mortality and HIV among women. Just a few decades ago, Bangladesh and India had shorter female than male life expectancies due to higher rates of female infanticide and neglect in childhood, and the gap in lifespans in these countries is still relatively small.

Many factors affect life expectancy, and the sex gap in lifespans has varied widely across countries and over time.

You can read more in my article about why women live longer than men

Global cereal production has grown much faster than population in the last half-century

This line chart shows the growth of global cereal production, yield, population, and land use for cereal production from 1961 to 2023, indexed to 1961. Cereal production increased by 250%, surpassing population growth, which rose by 164%. Cereal yield grew significantly, while land use for cereal production remained nearly constant. The chart highlights that higher yields, not expanded land use, drove most of the production increase. Data sources: UN FAO (2023), UN WPP (2024).

The world's population has more than doubled over the last 60 years, but global food production has managed to keep up.

The chart shows the change in four indicators since 1961: cereal production, cereal yields, land use for cereals, and population. Each metric is expressed in its relative change since 1961 (which is given a value of zero).

Cereal production has increased by 3.5-fold, more than the 2.6-fold growth in population. That means production has grown faster than the population, and the world produces more cereal per person than 60 years ago.

We can also see what has driven this increase. You can grow more food by either increasing crop yields or using more land. While land use has increased, most of this growth has come from higher crop yields. This has spared some natural habitats from being converted into farmland.

Read more in my article on the Green Revolution and food production

People in richer countries tend to say they are more satisfied with their lives

Scatterplot titled "Richer countries tend to have higher self-reported life satisfaction," showing life satisfaction (0-10 scale) against GDP per capita (log scale). Countries with higher GDP per capita, like Finland, Norway, and Qatar, report greater satisfaction (~7-8), while lower-GDP countries, such as Afghanistan and Burundi, report lower satisfaction (~2-4). Examples like Costa Rica and Honduras show moderate GDP and satisfaction. Data is from the World Happiness Report (2012-2024) and the World Bank (2025), with GDP adjusted for living cost differences.

Putting a number on “happiness” is hard. But one way to better understand how satisfied people are with their lives is to ask them.

Self-reported life satisfaction is one key metric that researchers rely on. Respondents are asked to rate their lives on a 10-step ladder, where 0 represents the worst possible life, and 10 is the best.

The chart shows self-reported life satisfaction measured against gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. The two are positively correlated: people in richer countries tend to be more satisfied with their lives.

Of course, income is not the only thing that matters. You can also see the large spread of values for countries with similar levels of GDP per capita. For example, South American countries tend to have higher happiness levels than those in other regions.

Explore more data on life satisfaction across countries, within countries, and over people’s lifespan

Which countries have contributed the most to historical CO₂ emissions?

Bar chart titled "Countries that have emitted the most CO2 emissions to date," showing each country's share of cumulative global emissions since 1750. The USA leads with 24%, followed by China (15%), Russia (6.7%), Germany (5.2%), and the UK (4.4%). Other notable countries include Japan (3.8%), France (2.2%), Canada (1.9%), and Ukraine (1.7%). Data reflects fossil fuel and industry emissions, excluding land use, sourced from the Global Carbon Budget (2024).

When we emit carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, most of it stays there for centuries or millennia. This means that CO2 emitted even a century ago has contributed to the rising temperatures we see today.

In other words, how much the climate warms depends on how much cumulative CO2 is emitted over time.

The chart shows the ten countries with the largest share of the world’s historical emissions, based on cumulative emissions from fossil fuels and industry since 1750.

The United States has contributed the most, accounting for almost one quarter. This is followed by China and Russia.

There are many other ways to understand contributions to climate change – explore data on annual, per capita, and trade-adjusted emissions

Global cereal yields have increased a lot, but millet and sorghum lag behind

Line chart showing cereal yields from 1961 to 2022, measured in tonnes per hectare. Maize, rice, wheat, and barley yields have significantly increased, with maize reaching about 6 t/ha and rice around 5 t/ha by 2022. In contrast, millet and sorghum yields have remained relatively stagnant at around 1 t/ha. Data source: Food and Agriculture Division of the United Nations, via Our World in Data.

Global average yields of cereal crops have tripled over the past 60 years. This has been crucial to feeding a growing population while sparing natural habitat from expanding agricultural land.

However, some cereal crops have seen much larger gains in efficiency. Maize (corn) and rice achieve the highest yields and have seen huge gains in recent decades. Wheat and barley have also performed well.

As the chart shows, crops like sorghum and millet have lagged behind. A hectare of land could yield 5 to 6 tonnes of corn or rice but only 1 to 1.5 tonnes of millet and sorghum.

It’s not just that yields for these crops are much lower today; growth over the past 60 years has been much more modest, increasing by less than 50%.

This is a huge challenge since these are key staple crops across much of Sub-Saharan Africa, where hunger rates are the highest and farmer incomes are the lowest.

Read more in my article on increasing yields in Sub-Saharan Africa →

Health spending has been rising across rich countries with different systems

A set of four line graphs showing government health expenditure as a percentage of GDP from 1990 to 2021 for Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, and United States. Japan increased from 4.5% to 9.3%, Germany from 6.1% to 11%, the UK from 4.3% to 9.9%, and the US from 4.5% to 16%. Each country is represented by its national flag and name. All graphs show an upward trend, with the US showing the steepest increase, particularly in recent years. The source is cited as Our World In Data based on Lindert (1994), OECD (1993), with a note indicating the metric includes social as well as compulsory health insurance.

Government spending on health has grown substantially across rich nations since 1990, with particularly steep increases in the United States. The chart shows healthcare spending as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) in four countries.

Japan and the UK saw their share more than double, while it more than tripled in the United States, from 4.5% to 16% of GDP. The rising costs partly reflect demographic change, as older populations typically need more medical care, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each country organizes healthcare differently. Germany requires everyone to buy insurance from regulated providers, while Japan gives everyone government insurance. The United Kingdom provides healthcare directly through its national health service, while the US combines private insurance with government coverage for the elderly and those on low incomes.

Explore government health spending for more countries

Sierra Leone has reduced maternal death rates by almost 75% since 2000

Line chart showing maternal mortality rates in Sierra Leone from 2000 to 2020. The rate was 1,680 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 and declined steadily to 440 per 100,000 by 2020, a 74% reduction. Data source: UN MMEIG (2023).

In 2000, Sierra Leone had the highest rate of maternal mortality in the world (alongside South Sudan). Around 1,800 pregnant women died for every 100,000 live births.

Since then, risks for mothers have plummeted. The country has focused on expanding healthcare, increasing the retention of skilled medical staff, and improving access to crucial medicines and treatments. In 2010, it rolled out free healthcare to pregnant women and children.

The results are shown in the chart. Maternal mortality rates have fallen by 74% in two decades.

While these rates are still extremely high — rates in the safest countries are around 100 times lower — Sierra Leone has made massive strides in saving both women and children.

Explore more global data on maternal deaths and declines over time →

Most OECD countries fail to reach the UN’s target for aid to the poorest countries

A bar chart displays the percentage of national income that various developed countries allocated as Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the least developed nations in 2022, compared to a target of at least 0.15%. The bar for Luxembourg shows the highest percentage at 0.46%, followed by Sweden at 0.28% and Norway at 0.2%. Other countries listed include Iceland and Denmark at 0.14%, Belgium at 0.13%, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Japan all at 0.12%, each followed by Germany, France, and Ireland at 0.11%. Canada provides 0.1%, while the United States and the United Kingdom each contribute 0.08%. Austria gives 0.07%, Slovenia and South Korea both provide 0.06%, and Italy is at the lowest at 0.05%. 

Data source: OECD (2024). The note indicates that it represents the 20 OECD nations providing the most aid, percentage-wise, to the poorest nations.

In 1981, the major foreign aid donor countries, also known as the Development Assistance Committee, made a promise at the UN: to aim for at least 0.15% of their national income to assist the world's least developed countries — about 1 dollar out of 700.

Over the years, they repeated this pledge. But by 2022, most countries failed to honor this promise. The chart shows the 20 OECD countries giving the most aid, as a percentage of their national income, to the world’s poorest nations.

Only three countries met the target: Luxembourg, Sweden, and Norway.

Some countries are so wealthy that even a rounding error in their budgets could mean the difference between life and death for people in the poorest parts of the world.

Explore foreign aid given to least-developed countries for all donor countries

Patients in the United Kingdom are less likely to survive cancer five years after diagnosis than in Australia

A bar graph compares cancer survival rates after five years for patients diagnosed in 2014 in Australia and the U.K. The title states that cancer survival rates are higher in Australia. 

For colorectal cancer, 71% of Australian patients are alive after five years compared to 60% in the U.K. In ovarian cancer, the survival rates are 44% in Australia and 37% in the U.K. Stomach cancer shows a survival rate of 33% in Australia versus 21% in the U.K. 

Liver cancer survival is at 21% in Australia, while 13% are alive in the U.K. Lung cancer survival rates are 21% in Australia and 15% in the U.K. Finally, for pancreatic cancer, 14% of Australian patients survive five years post-diagnosis compared to 8% in the U.K. 

Data source is listed as Global Cancer Observatory from 2019.

Patients diagnosed with cancer in 2014 were more likely to survive in Australia than in the UK across multiple types of cancer. This is despite both countries having similar socio-economic conditions, allocating a comparable amount per person to healthcare, and having a similar share of their populations living with cancer.

For colorectal cancer, 71% of Australian patients survived five years after diagnosis, compared to 60% in the UK.

Lung, liver, and pancreatic cancers, which are among the most aggressive, also had lower survival rates in the UK.

The survival gap was most dramatic for pancreatic cancer patients, where Australia's 14% five-year survival rate was nearly double the UK's 8%.

These survival rates only account for diagnosed patients, meaning early detection and prompt treatment access significantly impact outcomes. Differences in healthcare systems, screening coverage, treatment approaches, and other health risk factors may contribute to the gap.

Explore how cancer survival rates compare across other countries

The number of children in South Korea has fallen by 60% since its peak

A line chart titled "The number of children in South Korea has fallen rapidly since the 1970s." It shows the number of young people under age 15 peaking at 14 million in the 1970s and declining steadily to 5.7 million by 2023, a decrease of 60%. The x-axis represents years from 1950 to 2023, while the y-axis represents the population in millions. Data source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024).

South Korea is undergoing one of the world’s most rapid demographic transitions. Fertility rates — the number of children a woman has over her lifetime — have fallen rapidly over the last 50 years, and this is reflected in a rapidly aging population.

One of the clearest signs is the total number of children living in South Korea. In the chart, you can see that the number of children and adolescents under 15 years old is shrinking quickly.

The number of under-15s peaked around a decade later but has now fallen by 60%, from 14 million to less than 6 million.

This is a pattern we see in other countries such as Japan, China, and even Thailand — albeit at different rates.

Explore more data on population trends, births, and fertility rates in our Population and Demography data explorer →

The United States spends a lot more on healthcare per person than other G7 nations

Bar chart titled "The US spends far more on health than any other G7 country." It compares public and private annual health expenditures per person (2021) among G7 countries, adjusted for living cost differences. The US leads significantly at $12,000, followed by Germany at $7,610, Canada at $6,550, France at $6,330, the UK at $6,160, Japan at $4,680, and Italy at $4,370. Data source: World Health Organization (2025), using international-$ at 2017 prices.

The chart shows health expenditure per person for G7 countries; the data is adjusted for differences in living costs between countries.

The US spends much more on healthcare per person than any other G7 nation: $12,000 in 2021. This is more than 50% higher than Germany, the next-highest spender.

Japan and Italy spend just $4,700 and $4,400 per person at the lowest end — slightly over one-third of US spending.

Despite spending much more on healthcare, the United States has the lowest life expectancy in the G7. This is due to a combination of higher death rates from smoking, obesity, homicides, opioid overdoses, road accidents, and infant mortality.

Explore health expenditure per person for other countries

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