Healthcare Spending: Bhutan

Analysis# Bhutan Healthcare Spending Bhutan allocated 4.416% of its GDP to healthcare in 2023, representing a modest recovery from the previous year's 3.918%. Since 2000, the country has increased healthcare spending by 6.7%, though this growth remains uneven. The nation's peak spending occurred in 2021 at 4.786% of GDP, while the lowest point came a decade earlier in 2011 at 3.021%. The most significant shift emerged between 2019 and 2021, when spending jumped from 3.375% to 4.786%—likely reflecting pandemic-driven health priorities. Following this surge, spending declined in 2022 before rebounding in 2023. Current levels remain elevated relative to the pre-2020 baseline, suggesting healthcare has become a more substantial budgetary priority than it was two decades ago.