Italy's healthcare system is consistently ranked among the best in the world.[1][2] Life expectancy is the 4th highest among OECD countries (83.4 years in 2018[3]) and the world's 8th highest according to the WHO (82.8 years in 2018[4]). Healthcare spending accounted for 9.7% of GDP in 2020.[5]
The Italian state has run a universal public healthcare system since 1978.[6] The public part is the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, which is organised under the Ministry of Health and administered on a devolved regional basis, in consequence of the 2001 Italian constitutional referendum.