5 Costs and funding

2018
health expenditure (in CHF million) 80 242
of which for
 outpatient curative care 20 753
 long-term care 16 374
 inpatient curative care 15 548
 medical goods 12 214
health expenditure in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP) 11.2%

Source: FSO – Statistics on health care costs and funding (COU)

© FSO 2021

Outpatient curative care including that provided in hospitals represents over one quarter of health expenditure costs. Long-term care includes care for older people in nursing homes and home care. It generates more than a fifth of health ­expenditure costs, slightly more than inpatient curative care.


The ratio between health expenditure and the gross domestic product (GDP) has increased by 2.6 percentage points since 1995, reaching 11.2% in 2018. This value places Switzerland in the group of European countries with the highest ratio.



In 2018, households financed 63% of health expenditure. Mandatory health insurance premiums from households covered 31% of health expenditure. The government’s contribution to health expenditure is 30%. Over 6 in every 10 francs of this public funding correspond to payments from the cantons and communes to hospitals, nursing homes and home care services.