Healthcare Spending: Vietnam

Analysis# Vietnam Healthcare Spending Vietnam allocated 4.561% of its GDP to healthcare in 2023, representing an 11.0% increase since 2000. The country's healthcare spending peaked at 5.071% in 2010, then fluctuated between 4.3% and 5.0% over the subsequent decade. Current spending remains well below the 2010 high but substantially above the 2002 low of 3.871%. A sharp contraction occurred in 2020, when spending dropped to 4.332% of GDP, likely reflecting pandemic-related economic disruption. Vietnam recovered gradually through 2021–2023, stabilizing around 4.54–4.56%. The recent plateau suggests spending has found a sustainable equilibrium after nearly two decades of volatile growth, positioning healthcare investment as a moderate but consistent priority within the Vietnamese economy.