Latest Documents

Universal Health Coverage

Universal Health Coverage is about everyone having access to good quality health services without suffering financial hardship. Although most OECD countries offer all their citizens affordable access to a comprehensive package of health services, they face challenges in sustaining and enhancing such universal systems.

Health Update - The OECD Newsletter on Health

Read about the release of Health at a Glance: Europe 2020 and Health at a Glance: Asia/Pacific 2020, our most recent work on the digital revolution, modelling in public health with the OECD’s SPHeP models, and our work on patient safety, along with the latest COVID-19 Policy Briefs.

Health in the media

Learn about the latest interviews, articles and media interventions from the OECD Health Division staff.

Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals have contributed to improvements in life expectancy and quality of life of many patients. Medicines can cure, relieve symptoms, delay the onset of disease and prevent complications. They often offer good value for money. However, recent trends raise a number of concerns.

Addressing the challenges of access to medicines

Exploring further policy options suggested in the report Pharmaceutical Innovation and access to medicines, the OECD has undertaken, with financial support from the European Commission, several projects to further identify avenues to increase pharmaceutical expenditure efficiency and better prepare to changes in the market.

COVID-19 OECD Health System Response Tracker

Access our COVID-19 OECD Health System Response Tracker to learn more about the latest in OECD countries' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health at a Glance: Asia/Pacific 2020 - Measuring Progress Towards Universal Health Coverage

Health Expenditure

Latest OECD figures on health spending show that health spending grew by 2.5% in 2018 with provisional estimates pointing to around 2.4% growth in 2019. OECD spending on health as a share of GDP has remained at around 8.8% on average since 2017, according to OECD Health Statistics 2020, updated in November 2020.

Ageing and Long-term Care

With populations in OECD countries ageing, more people are living with long-term care needs. The OECD Health Division has an ongoing programme of work to support countries in developing long-term care systems that can meet the needs of their populations now and in the future.

Digital health

OECD work covers digital strategy, health data governance, health workforce policy, telemedicine/telehealth and artificial intelligence, among other topics.