Healthcare and medical spending in Germany: trends, structure and key figures
Reference page on healthcare and medical spending in Germany, covering healthcare system financing, spending trends, expenditure structure and key indicators.
Healthcare spending: current figures
Please note that the spending on “Healthcare spending” in this article refers to the money allocated from the federal budget to the relevant ministry, “Bundesministerium für Gesundheit”, as a whole. This means the amounts shown include all funding for the ministry, covering every programme and administrative cost, not just specific projects within this area.
In 2026, federal budget spending on Ministry for Health is 21 billion euros 1. This is about 4.15% of total federal spending.
Compared to the previous year, funding has increased by 12.9%. This change reflects current budget priorities and economic conditions.
Medical spending in the budget: spending structure
Funding for “Healthcare spending” is divided between different programmes and categories. The spending structure shows which areas receive the most money and which are considered priorities within this field.
The table below breaks down spending by main categories. This helps you see which programmes are funded most and how the money is distributed in this area.
Table 1. German federal budget spending in 2026
for Bundesministerium für Gesundheit 2
| Type of spending | Spending million euros | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung | 16,800.0 | 77.16% |
| Pflegevorsorge und sonstige soziale Sicherung | 3,281.0 | 15.07% |
| Prävention und Gesundheitsverbände | 728.2 | 3.34% |
| Forschungsvorhaben und -einrichtungen | 146.8 | 0.67% |
| Internationales Gesundheitswesen | 114.9 | 0.53% |
| Zentral veranschlagte Verwaltungseinnahmen und -ausgaben | 62.7 | 0.29% |
| Bundesministerium | 168.5 | 0.77% |
| Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung | 21.7 | 0.10% |
| Paul-Ehrlich-Institut | 97.8 | 0.45% |
| Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte | 142.1 | 0.65% |
| Robert Koch-Institut | 210.2 | 0.97% |
| TOTAL: | 21,773.9 | 100.00 |
Yearly changes in spending
To show long-term trends, below are figures for spending on Ministry for Health over the last 10 years. This lets you see if current changes are temporary or part of a steady trend.
Table 2. Changes in German federal budget spending on Ministry for Health for the last 10 years, from 2017 to 2026 3
| Year | Spending billion euros | Change from previous year billion euros and % | Change from 2017 billion euros and % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 15.2 | - | - | 0.0 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 15.2 | 0.0 | 0.32% | 0.0 | 0.32% |
| 2019 | 15.3 | 0.1 | 0.65% | 0.1 | 0.96% |
| 2020 | 15.4 | 0.0 | 0.29% | 0.2 | 1.26% |
| 2021 | 35.3 | 19.9 | 129.96% | 20.1 | 132.86% |
| 2022 | 64.4 | 29.1 | 82.32% | 49.2 | 324.54% |
| 2023 | 24.5 | -39.9 | -61.96% | 9.3 | 61.51% |
| 2024 | 16.2 | -8.3 | -33.75% | 1.1 | 7.00% |
| 2025 | 19.3 | 3.1 | 18.88% | 4.1 | 27.20% |
| 2026 | 21.8 | 2.5 | 12.92% | 6.6 | 43.63% |
Healthcare spending in Germany, analysis, current situation
In 2026, federal budget spending on the Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (Federal Ministry of Health) is about 21 billion euros. This is lower than during the peak pandemic years, but still higher than before the crisis.
Most of this money goes to support the statutory health insurance system, compensation payments for healthcare, prevention programmes and digital upgrades for medical infrastructure. The ministry’s budget also includes administrative costs and funding for its agencies.
Recent years saw a sharp rise in health spending during the pandemic, when the government had to spend billions to support hospitals, vaccination and cover deficits in health funds. After things stabilised, funding was reduced, but overall healthcare costs remain high due to an ageing population, rising medical costs and the need to modernise the sector.
Overall, health spending now reflects a balance between emergency measures taken in recent years and long-term goals for a sustainable healthcare system in Germany.
Notes on data sources
- Total spending in 2026: Data taken from the official publication of the federal budget law in Bundesgesetzblatt (Haushaltsgesetz 2026 – HG 2026)
- Note on Table 1: Data taken from the official publication of the federal budget plan Bundeshaushaltsplan 2026
- Note on Tables 1 and 2: The figures shown are SOLL-Werte — planned spending figures approved by law for each year. They show officially planned amounts rather than final actual spending. If changes are needed during the year, a Nachtragshaushalt — a supplementary (amended) budget — can be passed. This adjusts spending according to new economic conditions. Any such changes are already included in these tables if they were made. Since budgets can be officially updated during the year if needed, final actual spending usually does not differ much from these revised planned figures. This means SOLL-values can be used as a reliable guide for analysing budget trends.
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