Mr. RalphHowell asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was (a) the overall and (b) the per capita spending on health each year since 1979 in the United Kingdom, the United States of America. France and West Germany; and what percentage of each country's gross domestic product the overall spending represented.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeDifferences between the health care and health financing systems of the countries mentioned and their systems for classifying expenditure mean that no precise comparisons can be made. However an OECD report in preparation gives figures from which total health expenditure per capita and total health expenditure as a percentage of GDP can be calculated as follows:
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(a) Total health expenditure per capita per year: France W Germany UK USA £ £ £ £ 1979 310 310 180 470 1980 380 400 230 580
1981 — — 270 — 1982 — — 290 — (b) Total health expenditure as a percentage of GDP: 1979 7.7 7.8 5.2 9.0 1980 8.0 8.0 5.7 9.5 1981 — — 6.0 — 1982 — — 5.9 — * Health expenditure figures for France, Germany and the USA have been converted to £ sterling using general purchasing power parities. Figures are quoted to the nearest £10. Figures of this kind provide only a rough guide to relative levels of expenditure; and should not be taken as necessarily representing differences in the levels of provision.