Which Countries Have Universal Health Coverage?

What We’re Showing

This map highlights which countries have universal healthcare systems in place, using data from CEOWORLD Magazine for 2024.

What Is Universal Health Coverage (UHC)?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), UHC means that everyone has access to a full range of health services—from emergency interventions to palliative care—without financial difficulty. 

The State of UHC in the World

In 2024, 72 of the 195 countries worldwide had UHC, resulting in around 69% of the world's population having some form of universal healthcare.

Germany was the first country to establish a social health insurance system. Launched in 1883, the program began by covering only blue-collar workers, then slowly expanded its net of those covered. The final step toward UHC in Germany was made in 2007. 

The United States is the only developed country without health coverage for all of its citizens. As of 2022, the Census Bureau estimated that only 36.1% of Americans were covered by public health insurance. Private health insurance covered 65.6% of the population.