Comparatively, France stands out for a more moderate increase than some of its European neighbors, such as Germany and Italy, where health spending increased by 4.2% and 3.8%, respectively, in 2025. This development is part of a dynamic similar to that of Spain, with an emphasis on improving access to routine care and reducing household out-of-pocket costs.
Furthermore, the remaining out-of-pocket costs for households in France are among the lowest in Europe, representing 7.5% of consumption of healthcare and medical goods, or an average of €274 out of an annual expenditure of €3,659 per inhabitant. This level reflects the strong involvement of Health Insurance and supplementary health insurance in covering routine care and consultations with doctors, thus reflecting a high level of social protection.
Hospital care
In 2025, hospital care increased by 5.7%, reaching a total of €122 billion. This increase is explained by an increase in both costs and volumes of care. In the public sector, the rise in costs is mainly due to the increase in employee remuneration, with the revaluation of the civil service index point in July 2023 and the increase in on-call allowances. In addition, the rise in intermediate consumption costs, particularly energy, also contributed to this increase. The growth in hospital care also reflects the increased need for complex and urgent care, particularly following the postponements imposed during the health crisis.
Medical transport
Medical transport spending increased by 10.8% in 2025, reaching €6.8 billion. This sharp increase is due to an increase in contracts and allowances, as well as an increased use of personal and public transport for medical travel. Although these types of transport are less expensive, their frequency has increased, now representing 9% of total medical transport spending.
Long-term care
Long-term care spending also saw a notable increase of 6.2%, reaching €52.6 billion. This increase is mainly due to salary increases in the medico-social sector, which were supported by the State to address the difficulties encountered during the health crisis. The aging of the population also creates an increased demand for long-term care, a predictable and necessary phenomenon for the care of dependent people. This care mainly concerns patients with long-term conditions (ALD), such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, or other chronic pathologies requiring specific support.
Medical devices and “100% health”
At the same time, spending on medical devices related to “100% health” increased by 5.9%, with a notable increase of 8% for optics. The recovery in spending on medical devices such as hearing aids, dentures, and glasses is particularly notable. These increases result from the implementation of the “100% health” reform, which removed financial barriers to improve access to these devices. This represents a beneficial step forward, concretely improving access to care for people who had financial difficulties accessing it (forgoing care).
Outpatient care on the rise: an alternative to hospitalization
Outpatient care also grew by 5.7% in 2025, reaching a total of €72 billion. This increase is largely attributable to specialist care, which grew by 6.6%. This reflects greater accessibility to specialists, which is beneficial for the quality of patient care, particularly for specific issues such as medical imaging. In addition, the development of outpatient care allows for the replacement of traditional hospitalizations, thus optimizing the management of available hospital beds and contributing to better use of resources. This increase is inclusive, as it indicates that more patients were able to benefit from essential specialized care.
Outpatient medications
Outpatient drug consumption increased by 3.1% in 2025, reaching €33 billion. This increase is driven by demand for certain innovative drugs, particularly in the treatment of cancer, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes. Although moderate, this increase is an indicator of better access to advanced treatments, enabling more effective management of serious conditions.
Additionally, taking medication on an outpatient basis allows patients with serious illnesses and weakened immune systems to avoid going to the hospital, thus reducing the risk of contracting opportunistic infections.
Prevention
In contrast, prevention spending saw a significant drop of 38.3%, falling to €7.5 billion. This decrease is mainly due to the cessation of exceptional measures related to the management of the health crisis, such as mass screening and vaccination campaigns against COVID-19. Prevention spending has thus returned to a level close to that observed before the crisis in 2025.
“Usual” prevention expenditures include, in particular, classic vaccination programs (seasonal flu, childhood vaccination), screening campaigns (breast and colorectal cancer), health promotion actions, as well as the prevention of chronic diseases and risky behaviors (such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, drug use, risky sexual practices, or a sedentary lifestyle).
Although this decline is expected, it serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining an adequate level of prevention to avoid high long-term costs.
In 2025, healthcare spending in France was marked by a notable increase in several essential sectors, reflecting the return to normal activity after the health crisis and efforts to improve access to care. Some of these increases, such as outpatient care and the implementation of “100% health,” have a directly beneficial impact on the population, reducing barriers to access to care and enabling more equitable care. This demonstrates a necessary adaptation of the healthcare system to meet new needs and to strengthen the quality and accessibility of care for all.
2025 Edition
Each year, the DREES publishes a report on healthcare spending in France. The publication of the 2025 edition provides an opportunity to take stock of the major trends in healthcare financing and the questions they raise.
Healthcare spending in France has been steadily increasing since 1950. It is primarily financed by health insurance. 2025 continues this trend with rising spending, although the increase is lower than inflation, which is atypical.
This inflationary context raises the question of the long-term continuation of financing for healthcare and innovation in health, while reducing household out-of-pocket costs has been the main concern in recent years, shaken by the health crisis.
Evolution of expenditure and impact of the health crisis
The health crisis has had a significant impact on the structure of healthcare costs.-specific expenditures were financed by the French Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie ), as well as by complementary organizations through a dedicated exceptional contribution. 2025 , although still marked by expenditures related to the health crisis, shows a “return to normal.”
Thus, health expenditures related to COVID-19 amounted to 8.8 billion euros in 2025 compared to more than 18 billion in 2021 (and 15 billion in 2020). The main cost items are prevention (screening and vaccines) and hospitalization.
Despite this sharp decline, the DREES report indicates that healthcare spending continued to rise in France in 2025, rising from €307.6 billion to €313.6 billion. This increase is driven by the rise in the volume of healthcare services, their price, and the governance costs of funding agencies.
We can, therefore, anticipatee continued increases in healthcare spending in France in the coming years. Comparisons with other countries provide us with keys to understanding the different trends.
Health expenditure as a proportion of GDP – international comparisons
The continued rise in healthcare costs is a common phenomenon in most of the countries analyzed by the DREES in its report. However, France stands out for two specific features.
A large share of GDP devoted to health
France devotes approximately 12% of its GDP to healthcare spending, placing it third among the countries studied, behind the United States and Germany. By comparison, the European Union average is 11%, with significant disparities among its members. Per capita, €4,650 was spent on healthcare in France in 2025.
The desire to reduce the remaining household costs
The pressure of these expenses rests mainly on the social protection system (mandatory scheme and complementary organizations), while the remaining household out-of-pocket costs are one of the lowest in developed countries. Since 2025, the generalization of supplementary coverage and various reforms such as 100% Health have reduced the remaining out-of-pocket costs, which in 2025stood at 10.3% of current health expenditure in the international sense (DCSi), while it is on average more than 14% in European Union countries (excluding recent members).
This dual characteristic, significant expenses with a low remaining charge, illustrates the central place held by Health Insurance and supplementary health insurance in the French health environment.
Meeting the challenge of the sustainability of the French health system
Since the social protection system is central to the financing of health expenditure, the question of its sustainability arises despite the trend towards a continuous increase in the services it provides..By the same token, it is important to have a sustainable, qualitative health system, allowing patients to benefit from expensive care as well as the latest innovations resulting from research.
Prevention is one way to address these two challenges: it can both improve public health and reduce costs to the healthcare system.
Medical research is also an important area of focus for the future. Developing preventative treatments for today’s serious conditions or bringing curative treatments to market for currently chronic diseases represent significant challenges. Another is bringing these innovations quickly to as many patients as possible.
In this context, complementary organizations have a central role to play more than ever.
GPM engages in the challenges of the health system
Your mutual insurance company is taking action in the face of the constant inflation of health costs in France.
First of all, we constantly work to improve the management of our contracts to limit the increase in contributions as much as possible.
It is then by promoting prevention, financing medical research, supporting innovation, and participating in its dissemination.
Above all, it is by always standing alongside healthcare professionals to promote their well-being and help them stay healthy.
These initiatives, led by Villa M and supported by our entire mutualist organization, are all illustrations of our unconditional commitment to the health of caregivers.
