France’s healthcare system remains among world’s best in latest ranking
New report highlights access to quality and affordable care
Average health outcomes are good in France, yet doctor numbers need to be increased
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France still has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, based on access, quality, cost, and overall health of residents, the most recent report from the OECD group of developed democratic countries shows.
The latest comparable official statistics were used to rate healthcare across 38 countries in the latest biennial Health at a Glance report, published in November 2023.
France came out strongly in many areas, although some data were limited and skewed due to the Covid pandemic.
Access to care
The report found that 99.9% of France’s population is eligible to access core healthcare services.
By comparison, the UK offers 100% cover and the US 91.3% – lower than the OECD average of 97.9%.
France showed the second-largest improvement over 10 years in ‘financial protection’ – defined as the percentage of people’s healthcare costs covered by state or other compulsory schemes – up 12%.
Read more: How hospital charges work in France and what is and is not covered by the state
The US was first, at 71%, affected by a law making it illegal not to have health insurance.
France was also noted for making improvements to help relieve pressure on hospitals.
More people are now able to access home-based care or intermediate care facilities, rather than going directly to a hospital.
Number of doctors
Government plans to tackle so-called ‘medical deserts’ – areas that lack health workers – such as creating multidisciplinary clinics offering services in one place, have been a success, with 2,773 running in 2022.
However, France is below the OECD average of 3.7 practising doctors per 1,000 population.
In 2021, it was level with the UK, both at 3.2 per 1,000, and better than the US, with 2.7.
Healthcare spending
France was the third-highest country in terms of the percentage of GDP spent on healthcare in 2022, at 12.1%.
Being part of France’s healthcare system means access to more affordable health services than many other countries.
Prices of health procedures in France are only 70% of the OECD average. When it comes to paying for dental care, France also fares well, being one of only three OECD countries where more than half of costs are covered by state/compulsory schemes.
France came out top of the list for state spending on pharmaceuticals, with the state covering 80% of costs, compared to an OECD average of 58% in 2023.
Germany was just above at 12.7%, and the US in first place at 16.6%.
In terms of capital investment on new facilities, France is equal to the average OECD figure of 0.6% of GDP.
The US spends more on healthcare investment at 0.8%, but the UK lags below average at 0.4%.
Positive outcomes following a heart attack and stroke were better in France than the OECD average or in the UK.
France showed the third-lowest rate of death from heart attack and disease, after Korea and Japan, and fifth for strokes.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy in France was 82.4 years, ahead of the UK at 80.4 and the US at 76.4 years.
While figures are high, the actual gains made over the past 10 years are slowing.
Read more: Life expectancy – simple changes to benefit from France’s good stats
A similar pattern is occurring in the UK and US, with many possible reasons for this – an ageing population, more diabetes and obesity, plus progress to reduce deaths from heart disease and stroke is now slower.
