Greece spends €20.4 billion on health, but what does it deliver?

Greece spent an estimated €20.4 billion on health care in 2025, but public funding remains significantly below the European Union average, leaving households to shoulder a substantial share of the cost. The figures raise questions about whether the country’s health expenditure is translating into better care and measurable improvements in public health.

According to data from the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), reported by tovima.com, total health expenditure financing increased from €18.9 billion in 2023 to €19.9 billion in 2024 and an estimated €20.4 billion in 2025. The latest figure is an OECD estimate, rather than final expenditure data.

Private sources cover almost 40% of the bill

Of Greece’s estimated €20.4 billion in health financing in 2025, approximately €12.35 billion came from public sources and €8.05 billion from private sources. This means that nearly four out of every 10 euros spent on health care came from private financing.

Total health expenditure represented 8.2% of Greece’s gross domestic product in 2025, down from 8.4% in 2024. Across the EU, health spending accounted for 10.4% of GDP.

The gap is even wider in public financing, which represented just 5% of Greek GDP, compared with 8.4% across the EU.

The longer-term comparison is also concerning. In constant 2020 prices, Greece’s total health financing in 2025 remained 20% below its 2009 level, while public financing was 29% lower. By contrast, total health financing across the EU increased by 30% over the same period, while public financing rose by 33%.

Public sources accounted for 60.6% of Greece’s total health expenditure financing in 2025, approximately 20 percentage points below the EU average and 12 percentage points below the average for southern European countries.

Public spending per person trails Europe

The disparity becomes clearer when spending is measured per capita.

Greece spent €1,971 per person on health care in 2025, compared with €4,508 across the EU. Public health expenditure amounted to €1,195 per person in Greece, against a European average of €3,641.

The figures show that Greek public health spending per capita stands at roughly one-third of the EU average.

The burden has also shifted towards private financing over time. In 2009, public health spending in Greece amounted to €1,376 per person, while private spending stood at €638. By 2025, public expenditure had fallen to €1,195 per person, while private spending had increased to €776.

This represents a reduction of €181 in public spending per person and an increase of €138 in private expenditure compared with 2009. According to IOBE, the rise in private spending has partly offset the decline in public financing.

The figures highlight not only the gap between Greece and the rest of Europe, but also the extent to which citizens must rely on their own resources to cover health care costs.

The question of what the money delivers

While the expenditure figures indicate how much is being spent and who is paying, they provide a less complete picture of the results achieved.

The issue was raised at the HealthWorld 2026 conference, where experts highlighted the need to assess health policies based on their outcomes rather than solely on their costs.

Kostas Athanasakis, associate professor of health economics at the University of West Attica, said health policy evaluations should determine whether interventions work and whether they should be continued, adjusted or abandoned.

The objective, he argued, is to ensure that evidence generated by evaluations feeds directly into decision-making.

One example dates back to 2011, when a study by the then National School of Public Health examined the potential effects of reducing patient co-payments for diabetes medication from 25% to zero.

According to Athanasakis, the economic evaluation found that over three years, the additional initial expenditure could be offset by the benefits of improved treatment coverage, potentially benefiting the state financially as well.

He also pointed to the reimbursement of biomarkers, saying that every euro invested in their reimbursement could generate returns of between nine and 19 euros.

Despite such examples, Athanasakis argued that Greece still lacks a permanent mechanism to systematically translate scientific evidence into health policy.

Data exist, but access remains a problem

Kyriakos Souliotis, professor of health policy at the University of the Peloponnese, said Greece generates extensive health data through electronic prescriptions, diagnostic tests, hospital admissions and medical diagnoses.

The problem, he argued, is not a lack of information but limited access to it and the failure to link different data sources effectively.

Combining these records could help authorities identify inefficiencies, track spending and determine whether health policies are improving patient outcomes.

Souliotis also warned that indicators such as the number of doctors, nurses or hospital beds cannot be assessed in isolation. They must be considered alongside the number of patients served, the severity of their conditions and the results of their treatment.

Measuring health outcomes becomes a priority

The debate is increasingly shifting from the amount of money spent to the health improvements it achieves.

Souliotis said the effectiveness of the health system should be assessed through concrete targets, including reductions in heart attacks and strokes through prevention, as well as faster cancer diagnosis.

Such measures could help policymakers determine whether increased spending is delivering better health outcomes and where resources would have the greatest impact.

With total health financing exceeding €20 billion annually, Greece faces a dual challenge: closing the gap with European public spending levels and ensuring that available resources translate into more effective prevention, earlier diagnosis and better treatment.

The central question is no longer simply how much the country spends on health care, but how effectively that money improves the health of its population.

Source:tovima