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Italian households' annual expenditure on pharmaceuticals and other therapeutic devices increased overall from 2012 to 2023. Indeed, as the graph shows, after starting at approximately **** billion euros in 2012, Italian families’ spending on pharmaceuticals and therapeutic devices reached a value of roughly ** billion euros in 2023. 

How is private health expenditure distributed?

When breaking down this amount, it is possible to note how pharmaceutical drugs made up for three quarters of the out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare products. Goods, however, represented a minor share of private health expenditure. As a matter of fact, citizens in Italy allocated most of their out-of-pocket spending in purchasing health services. Among these, the highest amount of money was spent on dentist treatments.

The Italian health care system

Despite the increasing trend, household private health expenditure in Italy is still relatively small compared to public investment, which surpassed billion euros in 2024. The country’s health care system, in fact, relies on a national health service (Sistema Sanitario Nazionale - SSN) based in regions. The system provides universal coverage free of charge for all Italian citizens, as well as foreign citizens living in the country with a regular permit.