According to data from CEOWorld Magazine, the countries with universal health coverage have been listed below, with 73 of the 195 nations, or roughly 65% of the population, having UHC.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Universal Health Coverage (UHC) as ensuring that all people, regardless of financial situation, have access to the complete spectrum of health services, including palliative care and emergency treatments.
In this illustration, Julia Wendling of Visual Capitalist utilizes data from CEOWorld Magazine to show which nations have universal health coverage (UHC) and which do not, as well as how UHC coverage varies by population worldwide.
The State of Universal Health Coverage in the World
With UHC in 73 of the 195 nations on the planet in 2024, roughly 69% of people on the planet have access to universal healthcare.
| Country | UHC? |
|---|---|
| Albania 🇦🇱 | Yes |
| Algeria 🇩🇿 | Yes |
| Argentina 🇦🇷 | Yes |
| Australia 🇦🇺 | Yes |
| Austria 🇦🇹 | Yes |
| Bahamas 🇧🇸 | Yes |
| Belgium 🇧🇪 | Yes |
| Bhutan 🇧🇹 | Yes |
| Botswana 🇧🇼 | Yes |
| Brazil 🇧🇷 | Yes |
| Bulgaria 🇧🇬 | Yes |
| Burkina Faso 🇧🇫 | Yes |
| Canada 🇨🇦 | Yes |
| Chile 🇨🇱 | Yes |
| China 🇨🇳 | Yes |
| Colombia 🇨🇴 | Yes |
| Costa Rica 🇨🇷 | Yes |
| Croatia 🇭🇷 | Yes |
| Cuba 🇨🇺 | Yes |
| Czech Republic 🇨🇿 | Yes |
| Denmark 🇩🇰 | Yes |
| Egypt 🇪🇬 | Yes |
| Finland 🇫🇮 | Yes |
| France 🇫🇷 | Yes |
| Georgia 🇬🇪 | Yes |
| Germany 🇩🇪 | Yes |
| Ghana 🇬🇭 | Yes |
| Greece 🇬🇷 | Yes |
| Hong Kong 🇭🇰 | Yes |
| Iceland 🇮🇸 | Yes |
| India 🇮🇳 | Yes |
| Indonesia 🇮🇩 | Yes |
| Ireland 🇮🇪 | Yes |
| Israel 🇮🇱 | Yes |
| Italy 🇮🇹 | Yes |
| Japan 🇯🇵 | Yes |
| Kuwait 🇰🇼 | Yes |
| Liechtenstein 🇱🇮 | Yes |
| Luxembourg 🇱🇺 | Yes |
| Macau 🇲🇴 | Yes |
| Malaysia 🇲🇾 | Yes |
| Maldives 🇲🇻 | Yes |
| Mauritius 🇲🇺 | Yes |
| Mexico 🇲🇽 | Yes |
| Morocco 🇲🇦 | Yes |
| Netherlands 🇳🇱 | Yes |
| New Zealand 🇳🇿 | Yes |
| North Korea 🇰🇵 | Yes |
| Norway 🇳🇴 | Yes |
| Pakistan 🇵🇰 | Yes |
| Peru 🇵🇪 | Yes |
| Philippines 🇵🇭 | Yes |
| Poland 🇵🇱 | Yes |
| Portugal 🇵🇹 | Yes |
| Romania 🇷🇴 | Yes |
| Russia 🇷🇺 | Yes |
| Rwanda 🇷🇼 | Yes |
| Serbia 🇷🇸 | Yes |
| Seychelles 🇸🇨 | Yes |
| Singapore 🇸🇬 | Yes |
| South Africa 🇿🇦 | Yes |
| South Korea 🇰🇷 | Yes |
| Spain 🇪🇸 | Yes |
| Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 | Yes |
| Suriname 🇸🇷 | Yes |
| Sweden 🇸🇪 | Yes |
| Switzerland 🇨🇭 | Yes |
| Taiwan 🇹🇼 | Yes |
| Thailand 🇹🇭 | Yes |
| Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹 | Yes |
| Tunisia 🇹🇳 | Yes |
| Turkey 🇹🇷 | Yes |
| United Kingdom 🇬🇧 | Yes |
The only developed nation where not every resident has access to health care is the United States.
Only 36.1% of Americans, according to Census Bureau estimates, had access to public health insurance as of 2022. 65.6% of the population was covered by private health insurance. The United States spends the most per person on healthcare in the world as a result of these and other factors.
The History of Public Health Coverage
The first nation to implement a social health insurance program was Germany. When the program was first introduced in 1883, it mainly covered blue-collar workers. Over time, however, its coverage gradually grew.
The Alma-Ata Declaration, made in 1978 during the International Conference on Primary Health Care, was the first global statement endorsing the necessity of sufficient healthcare. The goal of the meeting was to attain worldwide UHC by the year 2000.
The “Health for All by the Year 2000” objective was also reaffirmed in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion of 1986, which eventually opened the door for more nations to embrace UHC.
Last year, GreatGameIndia reported that per-capita healthcare spending in various OECD countries highlights the high cost of US healthcare, making it the most expensive in the world.
