Health Record Rights Index › Countries › Strain

Context, not scored

In 41 of the 51 countries we could check, the public health record does not fully reach private care.

Signs of pressure on each health system: too few doctors or nurses, high private spending, long waits, and a public record that stops at the private clinic. They help explain a score but are not part of it. The marks use cut-offs set by the 38 members of the OECD (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, mostly high-income countries), so this view shows those 38 first. Figures run from 2010 to 2025, retrieved October 2, 2026.

Across all 198 countries and territories, the same cut-offs mark doctors 135 of the 192 countries with a figure, nurses and midwives 136 of the 192 countries with a figure, private spending 113 of the 183 countries with a figure, waits 14 of the 19 countries with a figure, record not fully reaching private care 41 of the 51 countries with a figure. Below the OECD the mark mostly tracks national income (note 1).

Marked: past the cut-off shown under each column name. "of 38 OECD countries": rank among members, 1 = the highest value. Gray square: the record reaches private care only partly.

In 41 of the 51 countries we could check, the public health record does not fully reach private care.
Countrymarked: 10 of 38 countriesfewer than 30.76 doctors per 10,000 people (bottom quarter of OECD members)marked: 10 of 38 countriesfewer than 62.16 nurses and midwives per 10,000 people (bottom quarter of OECD members)marked: 9 of 35 countriesmore than 28.66% of health spending (top quarter of OECD members)3 unknownmarked: 14 of 18 countriesmore than 90 days (the OECD's own 3-month line)20 unknownmarked: 2 split and 24 partly, of 33 countriessplit: the record stops at private clinics; partly: some private care reaches it5 unknown
Australia42.3202314th of 38 OECD countries14420245th of 38 OECD countries25.8202315th of 35 OECD countries25520244th of 18 OECD countriespartly
Austria56.720243rd of 38 OECD countries109202316th of 38 OECD countries21.3202322nd of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
Belgium33.9202326th of 38 OECD countries123202212th of 38 OECD countries26.3202313th of 35 OECD countriesunknownunknown
Canada28.5202431st of 38 OECD countries116202414th of 38 OECD countries27.9202311th of 35 OECD countries146202512th of 18 OECD countriespartly
Chile34.9202425th of 38 OECD countries47.2202432nd of 38 OECD countries40.520232nd of 35 OECD countries91220251st of 18 OECD countriesno
Colombia25.4202337th of 38 OECD countries15.7202438th of 38 OECD countries23.3202318th of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
Costa Rica26.9202233rd of 38 OECD countries30.7202236th of 38 OECD countries28.6202310th of 35 OECD countries52220252nd of 18 OECD countriespartly
Czechia42.4202313th of 38 OECD countries94.2202321st of 38 OECD countries14.7202330th of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
Denmark45.3202310th of 38 OECD countries109202317th of 38 OECD countries16.6202326th of 35 OECD countries42.0202518th of 18 OECD countriespartly
Estonia34.9202324th of 38 OECD countries70.4202326th of 38 OECD countries23.0202319th of 35 OECD countries4412020 (older figure)3rd of 18 OECD countriespartly
Finland28.8202330th of 38 OECD countries13020238th of 38 OECD countries16.2202327th of 35 OECD countries19320248th of 18 OECD countriespartly
France40.1202315th of 38 OECD countries94.2202122nd of 38 OECD countries15.1202329th of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
Germany45.920237th of 38 OECD countries124202310th of 38 OECD countries12.4202333rd of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
Greece67.120231st of 38 OECD countries41.3202334th of 38 OECD countries38.620235th of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
Hungary35.9202322nd of 38 OECD countries57.2202331st of 38 OECD countries24.9202317th of 35 OECD countries22920255th of 18 OECD countriesyes
Iceland45.820248th of 38 OECD countries16120242nd of 38 OECD countriesunknownunknownpartly
Ireland39.9202416th of 38 OECD countries15420244th of 38 OECD countries21.9202321st of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
Israel39.2202417th of 38 OECD countries62.1202429th of 38 OECD countries32.620238th of 35 OECD countries70.0202416th of 18 OECD countriesunknown
Italy53.120234th of 38 OECD countries71.0202325th of 38 OECD countries26.0202314th of 35 OECD countries47.0202517th of 18 OECD countriespartly
Japan26.5202236th of 38 OECD countries12420229th of 38 OECD countries14.3202331st of 35 OECD countriesunknownunknown
Latvia33.5202328th of 38 OECD countries43.6202333rd of 38 OECD countries40.420233rd of 35 OECD countriesunknownyes
Lithuania46.520236th of 38 OECD countries77.9202324th of 38 OECD countries32.620237th of 35 OECD countriesunknownyes
Luxembourg29.82017 (older figure)29th of 38 OECD countries13720236th of 38 OECD countries12.1202334th of 35 OECD countriesunknownyes
Mexico27.5202332nd of 38 OECD countries30.5202337th of 38 OECD countries49.120231st of 35 OECD countriesunknownno
Netherlands38.7202318th of 38 OECD countries112202315th of 38 OECD countries16.1202328th of 35 OECD countries78.1202515th of 18 OECD countriesunknown
New Zealand37.7202419th of 38 OECD countries13120247th of 38 OECD countries17.5202324th of 35 OECD countries21320257th of 18 OECD countriespartly
Norway49.820235th of 38 OECD countries16020233rd of 38 OECD countriesunknown22220246th of 18 OECD countriespartly
Poland36.5202321st of 38 OECD countries63.1202327th of 38 OECD countries20.6202323rd of 35 OECD countries151202511th of 18 OECD countriesyes
Portugal60.220232nd of 38 OECD countries80.1202323rd of 38 OECD countries37.520236th of 35 OECD countries16520259th of 18 OECD countriespartly
Slovakia37.6202320th of 38 OECD countries59.7202330th of 38 OECD countriesunknownunknownyes
Slovenia35.1202323rd of 38 OECD countries107202318th of 38 OECD countries25.7202316th of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
South Korea26.6202334th of 38 OECD countries98.0202419th of 38 OECD countries40.020234th of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
Spain44.3202312th of 38 OECD countries62.2202328th of 38 OECD countries26.4202312th of 35 OECD countries165202510th of 18 OECD countriespartly
Sweden44.7202211th of 38 OECD countries117202213th of 38 OECD countries13.6202332nd of 35 OECD countries101202514th of 18 OECD countriespartly
Switzerland45.620239th of 38 OECD countries19220231st of 38 OECD countries28.720239th of 35 OECD countriesunknownpartly
Turkey23.4202338th of 38 OECD countries35.3202335th of 38 OECD countries22.0202320th of 35 OECD countriesunknownyes
United Kingdom33.5202327th of 38 OECD countries95.6202320th of 38 OECD countries17.2202325th of 35 OECD countries133202413th of 18 OECD countriespartly
United States26.5202235th of 38 OECD countries124202411th of 38 OECD countries11.7202335th of 35 OECD countriesunknownunknown

One country, link by link

Chile shows all four signs of strain. Mexico and South Africa show three of the four; no wait figure is published for either, so the fourth is unknown. Waits are reported for only 19 of 198 countries and territories. OECD ranks compare a country with the 38 members of the OECD (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), mostly high-income countries.

How to read the table

  1. Cut-offs are set by the OECD members, a fixed reference group, so they do not move as countries are added. Because the line is drawn at the OECD's bottom quarter, most countries outside the OECD fall below it on doctors or nurses (138 of 154 countries and territories, against 16 of 38 members). So the flag tells you more when you compare OECD countries with each other.
  2. WHO counts voluntary insurance only. Compulsory private insurance (large in the United States, the Netherlands and Switzerland) is shown separately in each country panel.
  3. Waits are reported by 19 countries, mostly those that run waiting lists. Unknown means not reported, not short.
  4. Unknown is not no. Where we found no source about private providers, the record column says unknown.

Context, not part of the score. Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory (health workforce), WHO Global Health Expenditure Database (final years to 2023), OECD Health Statistics; values 2010 to 2025, retrieved October 2, 2026. The record column quotes the official source listed for each country (for example, Canada: British Columbia Ministry of Health, Digital Health Initiative: Health Gateway 'Diagnostic Imaging Reports' frequently asked questions).

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