Table 1.

Health financing overview

	China (2004)	Hong Kong (2004)	Taiwan (2005)
Population (million)	1292a	7b	23i
of which
Urban	530	N/A	16
Rural	762	N/A	7
GDP per capita (constant 2000 US$)	1162b	28 174b	14902j
Total health spending per capita	60.0d	1504f	954j
of which
Government	7.3	838	55
Social health insurance	17.0	N/A	523
Private health insurance	2.2	185	108
Out of pocket	33.5	467	239
Total health spending as % of GDP	5.6%	5.3%	6.4%j
General government (government + social) spending as % of total government
spending	10.8%e	15.6%g	18.7%j, k
Pharmaceuticals as share of total health spending	46.2%c	7.8%h	22.8%l

^aChina Statistical Yearbook 2004.

^bWorld Development Indicators 2007.

^c2004 National Health Accounts (data refer to 2003).

^dCalculations based on 2004 National Health Accounts. Government expenditure includes provider subsidies, medical education, administration, and medical assistance programs. Social health insurance includes the basic medical insurance, the government insurance scheme, rural cooperative medical scheme (old and new), as well as various health expenditures by social organizations and village enterprises.

^eGovernment and social health expenditure from 2004 NHA; total government expenditure from China Statistical Yearbook.

^fHong Kong's Domestic Health Accounts 2004.

^gFor government spending, Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics.

^hEstimate based on IMS data (sale price of health-care providers, pharmacies, and other retail stores).

ⁱ2005 Monthly Bulletin of Interior Statistics, Department of Statistics, Taiwan Ministry of the Interior.

^j2005 Taiwan Department of Health National Health Expenditures figures with estimates for private insurance expenditures by R. Lu based on Annual Report of Life Insurance, Republic of China (figures are in $U.S., $1 U.S. = 32.85 NTD in 2005).

^kFor government spending, 2007 Taiwan Statistical Data Book by CEPD.

^lFor pharmaceuticals, 2005 Taiwan Department of Health Statistics/Health and Vital Statistics.