Title: People in China are spending nearly as much of their income as Americans on healthcare URL Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/15/chinese-spending-nearly-as-much-of-income-as-americans-on-healthcare.html Published Time: 2026-10-15T23:00:01+0000 Markdown Content: [Skip Navigation](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/15/chinese-spending-nearly-as-much-of-income-as-americans-on-healthcare.html#MainContent) [](https://www.cnbc.com/) [Markets](https://www.cnbc.com/markets/) * [Pre-Markets](https://www.cnbc.com/pre-markets/) * [U.S.
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IN](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/15/chinese-spending-nearly-as-much-of-income-as-americans-on-healthcare.html#) [Create free account](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/15/chinese-spending-nearly-as-much-of-income-as-americans-on-healthcare.html#) [Markets](https://www.cnbc.com/markets/) [Business](https://www.cnbc.com/business/) [Investing](https://www.cnbc.com/investing/) [Tech](https://www.cnbc.com/technology/) [Politics & Policy](https://www.cnbc.com/politics/) [Video](https://www.cnbc.com/tv/) [Watchlist](https://www.cnbc.com/watchlist/) [Investing Club](https://www.cnbc.com/investingclub/subscribe?__source=investingclub|globalnav|join&tpcc=investingclub|globalnav|join)  [PRO](https://www.cnbc.com/application/pro?__source=pro|globalnav|join&tpcc=pro|globalnav|join)  [Livestream](https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/) Menu [China Economy](https://www.cnbc.com/china-economy/) # People in China are spending nearly as much of their income as Americans on healthcare Published Thu, Oct 15 2026 7:00 PM EDT  [Evelyn Cheng](https://www.cnbc.com/evelyn-cheng/)[@in/evelyn-cheng-53b23624](https://linkedin.com/in/evelyn-cheng-53b23624)[@chengevelyn](https://twitter.com/chengevelyn) [WATCH LIVE](https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/) Key Points * A new International Monetary Fund book points out China is second only to the U.S. in healthcare costs as a percentage of personal disposable income. * Per capita disposable income in the U.S. is more than 10 times that of China's in dollar terms. * "China's social spending is low compared with international peers, and increasing that spending would lift consumption," the IMF said.
Children and adults receive vaccinations at the Jiangbei Community Health Service Center on September 15, 2026 in Huizhou, Guangdong province of China.
Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — High healthcare costs are a big factor driving people in China to save, rather than spend, their money, the International Monetary Fund pointed out