Health care spending up nearly 10% in 2021
The consumption of health care and medical goods (CSBM) accelerated sharply in 2021, increasing by 7.9% in value, to 226.7 billion euros (Md€), or 9.1% of GDP, observes the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees) in its annual overview of health care expenditure published on Thursday.
"This is the strongest increase in expenditure observed in 30 years, during which the CSBM grew by an average of 3.5% per year," notes Drees, recalling the impact of the health crisis on this aggregate, which has limited its growth to 1.6% in 2020.
The CSBM "represents the total value of the consumption of goods and services that contribute directly to the treatment of a disturbance in the state of health", including inpatient and outpatient care, medical transport, drugs and other medical goods, with an average value of 3,350 euros per inhabitant in 2021.
Among other things, for the first time since 2014, the consumption of drugs in towns and cities is back on the rise (+4.4% to €31.1bn), driven by an increase in volumes (+7.7%) and despite a continued drop in prices but less than in previous years (-3%). Medicines delivered in towns and cities represent 13.7% of the CSBM.