Health at a Glance 2025

Life expectancy has recovered and is on an upward trajectory, but remained below pre-pandemic levels in 13 countries in 2023.

Combatting health risk factors throughout life is key to achieving long-term health gains at low cost. Yet obesity rates continue to rise in most countries, and harmful alcohol use and smoking remain major public health concerns, for adults and children alike.

In 2024, OECD countries allocated on average 9.3% of their GDP to health. This is down from the peak reached during the COVID‑19 crisis, but higher than pre‑pandemic levels.

Also, about one in every nine jobs across OECD countries is in health or social care. Both health spending and the health workforce are expected to continue to increase further, driven largely by technological change, rising expectations of what healthcare can achieve, and ageing populations.

Many preventive healthcare interventions are highly cost-effective, particularly in addressing risk factors to health, such as obesity, smoking and harmful alcohol use, that drive up healthcare costs in the longer term. Yet despite spending on prevention increasing to 6% of total health expenditure during the COVID-19 pandemic, it returned to historical levels of 3% in 2023. 

Using health resources more efficiently is also key, including an expanded use of digital health innovations such as doctor teleconsultations.