Across 30 OECD countries, 52% of users were satisfied with their healthcare system in 2023 but this average hides very wide variation across countries (Figure 4.1). Satisfaction rates fell by 10 percentage points in OECD countries between 2021 and 2023. Only three countries saw satisfaction levels rise over the period: Colombia saw a significant rise from 28% to 42%, Australia saw slight rise from 61% to 64%, and Belgium’s high satisfaction levels increased slightly from 79% to 81%. Such country variations present opportunities to explore underlying factors and address areas for improvement.
Out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare spending refers to payments made by households for healthcare goods and services. High OOP expenditures may be a barrier to accessing health services. Rates vary across OECD countries, reflecting different financing structures and financial protection for households. Between 2020 and 2023, OOP spending in the OECD remained constant at 19% of total healthcare spending, with Luxembourg and France having the lowest rates, at less than 10%. The largest falls in OOP expenditure rates over that period were in Latvia (-4 p.p.) and Mexico (-3 p.p.) although they still remained comparatively high (Figure 4.2).
The indicator person-centred care is based on a scale including eight questions to measure the extent to which a person’s health needs are managed holistically, ensuring their preferences and needs are central to the care received. The index shows the average score on this scale for people living with chronic conditions in each country. This score is based on a scale ranging from 0 to 24. Two cutoffs are shown: a value of 12, equivalent to a respondent scoring on average 50% or more across the eight questions; and a higher cutoff of 16, equivalent to scoring on average 66.6%. In all countries, people living with chronic conditions scored on average above the cutoff value of 12. In most countries (13 of 19), this average scale score was also above the higher cutoff of 16 (equivalent to a positive response on average across the eight questions). Scores were highest in Switzerland, the United States and Australia. (Figure 4.3)
