Band 9: The bar chart below shows current health expenditure totals as percentages of GDP* for various European countries for the years 2002, 2007 and 2012. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The bar chart illustrates the proportion of GDP spent on healthcare in 12 European countries in 2002, 2007, and 2012.

Overall, healthcare spending generally increased in most countries over the decade. Switzerland and France were among the highest spenders, while Estonia and Lithuania consistently reported the lowest shares.

In 2012, Switzerland had the highest health expenditure, just under 11% of its GDP. France followed closely, spending around 10.5%, with a steady rise from previous years. The Netherlands also showed a noticeable increase, reaching close to 10% in 2012.

On the other end, Estonia and Lithuania remained below 7% across all years, though they experienced slight growth. Countries such as Poland, Spain, and Luxembourg saw moderate increases, ranging between 6% and 8%. Norway remained relatively stable, slightly under 9% throughout the period.

To summarise, most countries increased their healthcare spending as a share of GDP between 2002 and 2012, with Switzerland leading by the end of the period.