Overview

Good health and wellbeing is important – it influences not just how a person feels, but has impacts for society as a whole. The availability and quality of health and welfare programs are central to delivering these outcomes, but difficult to evaluate. Information about expenditure on health and welfare gives an indication of the priority placed on these goods and services among all others in the economy. In Australia, more is spent on health and welfare, both in dollar terms and as a proportion of spending overall, than any other type of expenditure.

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Latest findings

Musculoskeletal disorders are responsible for more health spending than any other group of conditions ($14.6 billion)

Cardiovascular diseases ($12.7 billion) and cancer and other neoplasms ($12.1 billion) ranked 2nd and 3rd highest

Mental and substance use disorders overtook injuries in 2019–20 as the 4th highest disease group for spending

Total health expenditure was $220.9 billion, equating to $8,617 per person or 10.7% of total economic activity

The proportion of health spending funded by Individuals continued to decline in 2020–21

The ratio of government health spending to government expenses declined by 0.3 percentage points compared to 2019–20