The expenditure with the final consumption of health goods and services in Brazil added up to R$ 424 billion in 2013, corresponding to 8.0% of the GDP. Of this total, R$ 190 billion (3.6% of the GDP) were expenditures with government consumption and R$ 234 billion (4.4% of the GDP) were expenditures of households and non-profit institutions serving households.

Of the final consumption of health goods and services in 2013, 77.6% were destined to the consumption of services and 20.6%, of medicines. The expenditure with the final consumption of health goods and services represented 18.9% of the final consumption of government and 7.1% of the final consumption of households.

The per capita expenditure with the consumption of health goods and services was R$ 1,162.14 for households and non-profit institutions serving households and R$ 946.21, for government. The main expense of households was with private health services - including insurance plans -, reaching 2.7% of the GDP (R$ 141.3 billion) in 2013. The main item in the expenditure with government consumption was public health, reaching 2.8% of the GDP (R$ 149.9 billion) in 2013.

The contribution of health-related activities to the income generated in Brazil (value added) increased in every year of the time series, changing from 6.1% in 2010 to 6.5% in 2013. Private health was the major contributor, reaching R$ 103 billion (2.2%) in 2013. However, the highest increase in the contribution was reported by trade of pharmaceuticals, toiletries and medical/dental products, which changed from 1.1% of the total value added (R$ 36.1 billion) to 1.4% (R$ 62.2 billion) in the 2010-2013 period.

The number of jobs in health-related activities changed from 5.2 million in 2010 to 6.1 million in 2013, an increase of 825.8 thousand job posts. Health-related activities increased the participation in the total number of job posts in Brazil, changing from 5.3% of jobs in 2010 to 5.9% in 2013.

This information and more is available in the Health Satellite Account 2010-2013. This publication includes information on the consumption and foreign trade of health goods and services, as well as on value added and job posts in health-related activities. The complete publication is available here.

Expenditure with health goods and services represents 18.9% of final consumption of government in 2013

In 2013, the household consumption expenditure with health goods and services reached R$ 227.6 billion (4.3% of the GDP). The government expenditure with such goods and services was R$ 190.2 billion (3.6% of the GDP). Non-profit institutions serving households spent R$ 6.0 billion (0.1% of the GDP). As a result, the consumption of health goods and services accounted for 8.0% of the GDP.

Between 2010 and 2013, the participation of services in the consumption of health goods and services in the GDP increased every year, changing from 75.9% to 77.6%. At the same time, the participation of medicines fell from 22.3% to 20.6%.

Between 2010 and 2013, the contribution of expenditure with health to the total final consumption expenditure of government swung, changing from 19.0% in 2010 to 18.8% in 2011, 18.6% in 2012 and 18.9% in 2013. In the case of households, the participation of the expenditure with the consumption of health goods and services decreased, changing from 7.3% of its total final consumption in 2010 to 7.1% in 2013.

The consumption of health goods and services increased in terms of volume – discounted the price changes – in every year of the time series. For government consumption, the increases were of 2.6% in 2011, 0.2% in 2012 and 3.7% in 2013. For households, they were of 4.4% in 2011, 1.4% in 2012 and 1.3% in 2013.

Household expenditure with health goods and services is higher than government´s

In 2013, the per capita expenditure with the consumption of health goods and services by households and non-profit institutions serving households was R$ 1,162.14. At the same year, the per capita expenditure with the consumption by government was R$ 946.21.

The major expense of households was made with private health services (including insurance plans). This expense changed from 2.5% of the GDP in 2010 (R$ 97.8 billion) to 2.7% in 2013 (R$ 141.3 billion). The consumption of medicines by households changed from 1.6% (R$ 62.0 billion) to 1.5% of the GDP (R$ 78.5 billion) between 2010 and 2013.

The main item in the consumption expenditure of government was public health, which changed from 2.7% of the GDP in 2010 (R$ 106.0 billion) to 2.8% in 2013 (R$ 149.9 billion). The government expenditure with private health services was 0.6% of the GDP (R$ 31.8 billion) in 2013 and the expenditure with medicines for free distribution was 0.2% (R$ 8.4 billion) in 2013.

As a result, the government expenditure with health services – excluding goods, like medicines – was higher than that of households. However, the consumption of health goods and services by households was higher than that of government when including the expenses with medicines.

Concerning the exports of health goods and services, 18.6% of the pharmaceutical preparations – like gauze, bandages, iodine, hydrogen peroxide, etc. – available in Brazil were exported. On the other hand, 74.0% of pharm-chemicals – raw material for the production of medicines –, 37.1% of other dental and medical materials and 24.5% of medicines for human use were imported.

Table 3 - Final consumption, in percentage of the GDP, by institutional sector,
according to products - Brazil - 2010 - 2013

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Contas Nacionais.

Health activities generate 6.5% of Brazilian income in 2013

The contribution of health-related activities to the income generated in Brazil (value added) increased in every year of the time series, changing from 6.1% (R$ 202.7 billion) in 2010 to 6.5% (R$ 297.1 billion) in 2013. Private health (R$ 103.0 billion or 2.2%) was the major contributor. However, the highest increase in the contribution was reported by trade of pharmaceuticals, toiletries and medical/dental products, which changed from 1.1% of the total value added (R$ 36.2 billion) in 2010 to 1.4% (R$ 62.2 billion) in 2013.

While the value added of the health-related activities changed 2.4% in volume in 2013, that of the others (non-health) increased 2.9%. In the 2011-2013 period, health activities (2.4%) surpassed others (1.6%) only in 2012.

Table 8 - Change in volume of the gross value added of health activities

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Contas Nacionais.

Participation of health activities grows in job posts

The number of jobs in health-related activities changed from 5.2 million in 2010 to 6.1 million in 2013, an increase of 825.9 thousand job posts. Nevertheless, this figure did not correspond to the number of employed persons, since that an individual might take more than one job post.

Among the health activities, private health and public health topped the number of jobs in every year of the time series. These activities also registered the highest increase of job posts between 2010 and 2013: 17.2% (private health) and 17.7% (public health). Having grown 13.8%, trade of pharmaceuticals, toiletries and medical/dental products ranked in the third place.

As their number of job posts increased more than the average of the economy, health-related activities increased their participation in the total number of job posts in Brazil, changing from 5.3% of the jobs in 2010 to 5.9% in 2013.

Table 9 – Number of job posts, according to activities -
Brazil - 2010 - 2013

Source: IBGE, Diretoria de Pesquisas, Coordenação de Contas Nacionais.