In 2025, current expenditure on health reached 31,877.7 million euros, equivalent to 10.4% of GDP. Its nominal growth (7.8%) exceeded that of GDP (5.9%), reflecting the increase of 9.3% in public expenditure and 5.2% in private expenditure. In that year, current public expenditure accounted for 65.2% of total expenditure, 0.9 p.p. more than in 2024.
In 2023, the Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) of health care providers increased by 5.3%, below the 10.3% recorded in the economy, with emphasis on hospitals (public: 30.8%; private: 26.4%) and the sharp reduction of private providers of auxiliary services (-52.2%), namely diagnostic laboratories.
Between 2000 and 2025, current expenditure on health grew at an average annual pace higher than GDP (4.4% compared to 3.6%). The National Health Service and Regional Health Services (NHS and RHS) remained the main financing agent, although with a loss of relevance from 2011 onwards. Households and insurance companies have strengthened their relative weight in financing the health system. In the provision of health care, public hospitals maintained a central role, while private providers - hospitals and ambulatory health care providers - gained importance; Conversely, the share of pharmacies decreased.
Portugal was, in 2024, the seventh country in the European Union with the highest increase in current expenditure on health (9.9%) and the seventh where it had the highest weight in GDP (10.2%).
See the infographic
