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Date Published: 31/08/2026

Health insurance costs in Spain jump 67% since the pandemic

Longer waiting lists have pushed more people in Spain towards private healthcare

Health insurance in Spain has become considerably more expensive since the pandemic, with premiums rising by 67.6% between July 2020 and July 2026, according to figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

The increase has been driven largely by longer waiting lists and delays in diagnoses within the public healthcare system, which pushed many patients towards private care instead. That shift, combined with a rise in claims and high inflation, has made health insurance the most expensive type of policy over the past six years, outpacing rises in vehicle insurance, which climbed 34.8%, and life insurance, up 37% over the same period.

The trend becomes even more striking looking back over the past two decades, with health insurance premiums up more than 215% since 2006. That's roughly four times the increase seen in car insurance, which rose 67.2% over the same period, and almost double the rise in death benefit policies, up 116.8%, and the average insurance premium overall, up 111%.

Unlike car insurance, which is a legal requirement, health insurance is typically taken out with the clear intention of being used, which naturally pushes costs higher.

Year on year, the July CPI shows health insurance is now 8.9% more expensive than it was a year earlier, well above the overall average increase of 6.2%. Mapfre Economics had expected a steady few months across the insurance sector thanks to broader economic stability, though it noted that sharp price rises linked to the war in Iran could disrupt that outlook.

Despite the rising costs, demand keeps growing. Spanish insurance association Unespa expects health insurance to overtake car insurance in terms of revenue by 2027 or 2028, having originally predicted this would happen even sooner.

The reasons people take out cover vary. In a survey of 14,000 people carried out between August 2025 and June 2026, 38% said they wanted easier access to check-ups and specialist appointments, 27.7% wanted cover in case something happened, 17.3% wanted to avoid long waiting times, and the remaining 16.9% were looking for cover for specific medical needs. Policyholders were more likely to be women, with an average age of 45.4, and 13.1% of those covered are under 18.

Demand also varies significantly region by region, with Andalucía, Catalonia, Madrid and the Valencian Community together accounting for 70% of all policies, largely reflecting their larger populations.

Image: Freepik

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