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This page presents estimates for financial hardship due to out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending based on the original 2015 definition of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 3.8.2. These data no longer align with the revised definition of SDG indicator 3.8.2 (adopted in 2025). For the most recent estimates, please refer to the Financial protection page.
Financial protection is at the core of universal health coverage (UHC) and one of the final coverage goals. Health financing policy directly affects financial protection. Inadequate financial protection mechanisms in health lead to financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health spending and financial barriers to access health care. This page includes SDG and SDG related indicators of financial hardship such as SDG indicator 3.8.2 on catastrophic health spending as well as indicators showing to what extent out-of-pocket health spending contributes to poverty.
Key to protecting people is to ensure prepayment and pooling of resources for health, rather than relying on people paying for health services out-of-pocket at the time of use.
Catastrophic out-of-pocket health spending indicators
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Catastrophic health spending: population with household expenditures on health greater than 10% of total household expenditure or income (SDG 3.8.2) (%, national, rural, urban) -
Catastrophic health spending: population with household expenditures on health greater than 10% of total household expenditure or income (SDG 3.8.2) (%, regional, global total)
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Catastrophic health spending: population with household expenditures on health greater than 10% of total household expenditure or income (SDG indicator 3.8.2) (millions, global, regional total)
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Catastrophic health spending: population with household expenditures on health greater than 25% of total household expenditure or income (SDG indicator 3.8.2) (%, national, rural, urban)
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Catastrophic health spending: population with household expenditures on health greater than 25% of total household expenditure or income (SDG indicator 3.8.2) (%, regional, global total)
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Catastrophic health spending: population with household expenditures on health greater than 25% of total household expenditure or income (SDG indicator 3.8.2) (millions, regional, global total)
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Households with out-of-pocket payments greater than 40% of capacity to pay for health care (food, housing and utilities approach - developed by WHO/Europe) (%, national)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $1.90 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $1.90 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $1.90 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (millions, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $2.15 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $2.15 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $2.15 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (millions, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $3.20 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $3.20 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $3.20 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (millions, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $3.65 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $3.65 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below the $3.65 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (millions, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below a relative poverty line by household health expenditures - 60% of median daily per capita consumption or income (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below a relative poverty line by household health expenditures - 60% of median daily per capita consumption or income (%, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed below a relative poverty line by household health expenditures - 60% of median daily per capita consumption or income (millions, regional, global total)
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Households impoverished by out-of-pocket payments (relative poverty line reflecting basic needs: food, housing, utilities - developed by WHO/Europe) (%, national)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed further below the $1.90 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: total population pushed further below the $1.90 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, regional, global)
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Impoverishing health spending: total population pushed further below the $1.90 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (millions, regional, global)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed further below the $2.15 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: total population pushed further below the $2.15 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, regional,global)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed further below the $2.15 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (millions, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed further below the $3.20 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: total population pushed further below the $3.20 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, regional, global)
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Impoverishing health spending: total population pushed further below the $3.20 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (millions, regional, global)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed further below the $3.65 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: total population pushed further below the $3.65 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (%, regional, global)
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Impoverishing health spending: total population pushed further below the $3.65 a day poverty line by household health expenditures (millions, regional, global)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed further below a relative poverty line by household health expenditures - 60% of median daily per capita consumption or income (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed further below a relative poverty line by household health expenditures - 60% of median daily per capita consumption or income (%, regional, global total)
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Impoverishing health spending: population pushed further below a relative poverty line by household health expenditures - 60% of median daily per capita consumption or income (millions, regional, global)
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Households further impoverished by out-of-pocket payments (relative poverty line reflecting basic needs: food, housing, utilities - developed by WHO/Europe) (%, national)
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Households pushed below or further below a relative poverty line (reflecting basic needs: food, housing, utilities - developed by WHO/Europe) by out-of-pocket payments (%, national)
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Impoverishing health spending: increase in poverty gap due to household health expenditures, expressed as a proportion of the $1.90 a-day poverty line (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: increase in poverty gap due to household health expenditures, expressed as a proportion of the $2.15 a-day poverty line (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: increase in poverty gap due to household health expenditures, expressed as a proportion of the $ 3.20 a-day poverty line (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: increase in poverty gap due to household health expenditures, expressed as a proportion of the $3.65 a-day poverty line (%, national, rural, urban)
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Impoverishing health spending: increase in poverty gap due to household health expenditures, expressed as a proportion of a relative poverty line - 60% of median daily per capita consumption or income (%, national, rural, urban)
Related indicators
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