Real per-capita net operating expenditure increased the most in disability services
In 2024, the net operating costs of healthcare and social welfare amounted to EUR 24.6 billion. The per capita costs were EUR 4,395.
The highest net operating costs of health and social services per capita (EUR 1,161) were in non-psychiatric specialised healthcare. The costs of somatic specialised healthcare and services for the elderly coves almost half (47%) of the costs per capita.
Somatic specialised healthcare covers 26 per cent and services for the elderly 21 per cent of the net operating costs.
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Social protection expenditure accounts to nearly one third of the total output of the national economy
The social protection expenditure in relation to the GDP rose to approximately 33 per cent in 2024.
The largest expenditure item was ageing-related social protection, with particular emphasis on old-age pensions. The ageing population increases the pension expenditure and in addition to that, index adjustments increased the euro amounts in 2024.
In 2024, social protection expenditure related to sickness and health, disability, families and children, widowhood, survivors and dependants and unemployment increased by 1–4 per cent in real terms. Expenditure related to housing remained unchanged in real terms.
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The increase in healthcare expenditure as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic was visible particularly in specialised healthcare and outpatient care in primary healthcare
In 2020, Finland’s healthcare expenditure amounted to EUR 22.9 billion, with an increase of 3.6 per cent in real terms compared to 2019. The per capita expenditure was EUR 4,138.
The health care expenditure in relation to the GDP increased by 0.4 percentage points from 2019 and was 9.6 per cent in 2020. In particular, there was growth in the outpatient costs in non-psychiatric specialised healthcare (+16.8) and primary health care (+12.1%).
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Unit cost data on healthcare and social welfare services serves the entire health and social services system
The average national unit costs for 2023 and 2024 have been published for seventeen (17) service categories. Specialised healthcare is the most expensive.
Cost accounting of unit costs is used both in knowledge-based management by the wellbeing counties themselves and in central government guidance of the counties.
THL develops the information management of financial and operational information in healthcare and social welfare services as well as the national and county-specific calculation of unit costs in cooperation with the counties, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Finance.
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Hospitals’ costs increased and productivity decreased in 2023
In 2023, the volume of services provided in somatic specialised medical care in all hospitals remained at the same level as in 2022. However, costs increased in every hospital. Persistently high inflation influenced the cost development of somatic specialised medical care in 2023.
| Year | University hospitals | Central hospitals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2020 | 95,64 | 95,08 | 95,39 |
| 2021 | 100,29 | 95,04 | 98,12 |
| 2022 | 93,81 | 91,73 | 93,01 |
| 2023 | 90,40 | 92,16 | 90,93 |
Effectiveness and costs of care pathways
The functionality, effectiveness and costs of care pathways have been examined using register-based data for major disease groups or for disease groups that are significant from a cost perspective.
The methods and indicators enable regional and provider-level monitoring of the use of services included in patients’ care pathways and their cost-effectiveness. The data can also be used to some extent to assess which factors explain regional and provider-level differences.
Next publications on the topic
The date of publications of new data can be found in the THL statistics publication calendar.
Statistics publication calendar