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  4. Vol 6, Issue 1, 2026

Global Patterns and Evolution of Health Expenditure-Level Inequality in Major Countries between 2010 and 2021

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DOI: 10.23977/phpm.2026.060117 | Downloads: 5 | Views: 91

Author(s)

Haishi Yu 1, Chao Sun 1

Affiliation(s)

1 Yunnan Normal University Hospital, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan, China

Corresponding Author

Chao Sun

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated the global pattern and evolution of health expenditure levels among major countries from 2010 to 2021. Five health-expenditure indicators were extracted for 184 countries. A unified entropy-weighted Health Expenditure Level Index (HELI) was constructed based on five indicators. Gini coefficients, Theil indices, paired Wilcoxon tests, Spearman rank correlation, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to assess temporal change and regional inequality. The results show that the mean HELI increased by 4.97 points from 2010 to 2021 (Wilcoxon P≤0.001), indicating that health expenditure levels increased overall between 2010 and 2021. The Gini coefficient and Theil index decreased from 2010 to 2021, indicating that between-country inequality in health expenditure levels narrowed, but the degree of differences remains significant. Countries with low HELI values need to improve both per-capita expenditure capacity and the public-financing priority assigned to health.

KEYWORDS

Health expenditure level; Government health expenditure; Entropy weight method; Gini coefficient; Theil index; Global health

CITE THIS PAPER

Haishi Yu, Chao Sun. Global Patterns and Evolution of Health Expenditure-Level Inequality in Major Countries between 2010 and 2021. MEDS Public Health and Preventive Medicine (2026). Vol. 6, No.1, 140-146. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/phpm.2026.060117.

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