Out-of-pocket health expenditure and the health financing mix in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, 2000–2023: a descriptive analysis of WHO data
Abstract
BackgroundOut-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure is an important component of health financing, but national OOP shares should be interpreted alongside the wider financing mix. This study compared OOP shares and financing composition across the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from 2000 to 2023.MethodsThe analysis used the March 2026 release of the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. OOP payments, government and compulsory schemes, and voluntary schemes were expressed as percentages of current health expenditure (CHE). Descriptive statistics, changes between 2000 and 2023, and country-specific linear trends were calculated. Additional analyses examined periods around documented changes in data sources or classifications.ResultsOOP shares were lower in 2023 than in 2000 in five countries, with the largest reductions in Qatar and Kuwait; Bahrain showed a small increase. Saudi Arabia’s OOP share declined from 18.46 to 14.12%. In 2023, government and compulsory schemes were the largest financing component in all six countries, ranging from 59.27% of CHE in Bahrain to 88.55% in Kuwait. Saudi Arabia’s financing trends spanned documented changes in insurance classification and OOP source data.ConclusionOOP shares and the wider financing mix differed across GCC countries between 2000 and 2023. These patterns should be interpreted in the context of documented changes in data sources and financing classifications.
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BibTeX
@article{almutairi2026outofpocket,
title = {{Out-of-pocket health expenditure and the health financing mix in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, 2000–2023: a descriptive analysis of WHO data}},
author = {Majed Almutairi},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.2010715},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.2010715},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Out-of-pocket health expenditure and the health financing mix in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, 2000–2023: a descriptive analysis of WHO data
AU - Majed Almutairi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/04
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.2010715
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.2010715
AB - BackgroundOut-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure is an important component of health financing, but national OOP shares should be interpreted alongside the wider financing mix. This study compared OOP shares and financing composition across the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from 2000 to 2023.MethodsThe analysis used the March 2026 release of the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. OOP payments, government and compulsory schemes, and voluntary schemes were expressed as percentages of current health expenditure (CHE). Descriptive statistics, changes between 2000 and 2023, and country-specific linear trends were calculated. Additional analyses examined periods around documented changes in data sources or classifications.ResultsOOP shares were lower in 2023 than in 2000 in five countries, with the largest reductions in Qatar and Kuwait; Bahrain showed a small increase. Saudi Arabia’s OOP share declined from 18.46 to 14.12%. In 2023, government and compulsory schemes were the largest financing component in all six countries, ranging from 59.27% of CHE in Bahrain to 88.55% in Kuwait. Saudi Arabia’s financing trends spanned documented changes in insurance classification and OOP source data.ConclusionOOP shares and the wider financing mix differed across GCC countries between 2000 and 2023. These patterns should be interpreted in the context of documented changes in data sources and financing classifications.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -