Over 46.6 billion euro spent on care in 2001

Total expenditure on care in the Netherlands amounted to just over 46.6 billion euro in 2001, just over 10 percent more than in 2000. In 2000 and 1999 the increase on the previous year was substantially smaller, at about 7 percent in both years.

Expenditure on care

Spending on care accounted for 11 percent of GDP in 2001, up from 10.5 percent in 1998, 1999 and 2000. An average 2,906 euro per capita was spent on care in 2001.

More for welfare institutions

If we split the spending between spending on health care and spending on welfare, it turns out that the latter in particular rose in 2001 (nearly 11 percent). The same was seen in the previous year. The extra funding made available in 2000 and 2001 to tackle the long waiting lists went mainly to the nursing homes and institutions for home care and care for the handicapped.

More employment in care sector

The labour volume in the care sector has also increased substantially. In the period 1998-2001 the labour volume in health care and welfare rose by just over 13 and just over 12 percent respectively. The rate of growth increased annually in this period.

Employment in care

Social insurance pays most

The government and social insurance institutions pay by far most of the total spending on care. In 2001 their share was nearly 32 billion euro, nearly 70 percent of total expenditure. Private health insurance companies contributed 6 billion, and households, institutions and private companies spent nearly 9 billion on health and welfare care.

Spending on care by source of funding

Jan Smit