asked the Minister for Health the gross health expenditure of each OECD European member state as a percentage of Gross National Product as of the latest date for which figures are available.
Written Answers. - European Health Expenditure Statistics.
196.
The latest year for which OECD comparisons for EC member states are available is 1984. The comparisons expressed in gross domestic product terms are set out in the following table:
|
1984 Expenditure as a percentage of GDP |
||
|
Public expenditure |
Total expenditure |
|
|
% |
% |
|
|
Belgium |
5.7 |
6.2 |
|
Denmark |
5.3 |
6.3 |
|
France |
6.5 |
9.1 |
|
Germany |
6.3 |
8.1 |
|
Greece |
3.6 |
4.6 |
|
Ireland |
7.0 |
8.0 |
|
Italy |
6.1 |
7.2 |
|
Luxembourg |
n.a |
n.a. |
|
Netherlands |
6.7 |
8.6 |
|
Portugal |
3.9 |
5.5 |
|
Spain |
4.2 |
5.8 |
|
United Kingdom |
5.2 |
5.9 |
In making comparisons of this nature, OECD suggests that Ireland's figures be reduced by one-seventh to compensate for the more limited definition of health services in other EC countries.