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OECD Report Finds Mexico Lagging Peers on Health Spending and Outcomes

The latest Health at a Glance links chronic underinvestment to high rates of deaths that better care could avert.

Overview

  • Mexico spends 5.9% of GDP on health, or $1,588 per person, compared with the OECD averages of 9.3% and $5,967.
  • Life expectancy in Mexico is about 75–75.5 years, nearly six years below the OECD average of roughly 81 years.
  • Preventable mortality reaches 243 deaths per 100,000 people versus 145 in the OECD, while treatable mortality is 175 versus 77.
  • Thirty-day mortality after a heart attack is 22.6% in Mexico compared with 6.5% across the OECD, and stroke mortality is 17% versus 7.7%.
  • Access and capacity remain thin, with only 78% basic coverage, 2.7 physicians and about three nurses per 1,000 people, one hospital bed per 1,000, and low uptake of childhood vaccination (78% vs 93%) and breast-cancer screening (~20% vs 55%).