Hong Kong's Food and Health Bureau: The recurrent expenditure on healthcare in Hong Kong for the 2024/25 fiscal year will increase by 5% year-on-year, with per capita expenditure at 34,890 HKD.

On August 26, the Hong Kong Health Bureau released the account of local healthcare spending for the year 2024/25. The trend of healthcare spending for 2024/25 remains stable. The recurrent healthcare expenditure in Hong Kong amounts to HK$262.513 billion, representing a 5.0% increase (or HK$12.491 billion) from the previous year. This expenditure accounts for 8.2% of the local Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is similar to the proportion from the previous year. The per capita recurrent healthcare expenditure is HK$34,890. In the recurrent healthcare expenditure for 2024/25, public spending accounts for 51.6% (i.e., HK$135.450 billion), with per capita public spending being HK$18,000. Public spending constitutes 4.2% of the local GDP, which is similar to the previous year's proportion. In terms of the percentage relative to the local GDP, both the recurrent healthcare expenditure and public spending in Hong Kong have generally shown an upward trend over the past decade. As for private healthcare spending, the relevant expenditure for 2024/25 accounts for 48.4% (i.e., HK$127.063 billion) of Hong Kong's recurrent healthcare expenditure, with a percentage of 3.9% relative to the local GDP. The Hong Kong government has been actively promoting primary healthcare reform in accordance with the direction outlined in the "Primary Healthcare Blueprint," gradually shifting the focus of the healthcare system from a treatment-dominant secondary and tertiary care model to a preventive, family doctor-centered primary healthcare approach. Since the establishment of the Primary Healthcare Department, efforts have been continuously made to expand the regional health network and to optimize and promote the "Chronic Disease Collaborative Care Program" as well. For the year 2024/25, primary healthcare spending accounts for 30.4% of the overall recurrent healthcare expenditure, steadily moving towards the long-term goal proposed in the "Blueprint" of achieving a better balance between primary healthcare and secondary/tertiary healthcare within overall healthcare expenditure (for example, approximately 3.5:6.5 or even 4:6). This reflects the government's gradual establishment of a more sustainable healthcare system to address challenges such as population aging and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases.