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2027 Global Medical Trends Survey
Key takeaways
Global medical costs are expected to continue rising.
The projected global medical trend for 2027 is 10.2%, up from 10.1% in 2026 and 9.8% in 2025.
Cost pressures are expected to be long term.
Nearly half (49%) of insurers anticipating higher medical trends believe these increases will continue for more than three years.
Affordability is becoming a major concern.
69% of insurers report growing pressure from clients to reduce healthcare plan rates.
Early survey results indicate that medical costs around the world are set to rise again in 2027, with a projected global medical trend of 10.2% (Figure 1). This continues a pattern of elevated healthcare cost growth that is placing increasing pressure on insurers and employers to balance affordability with access to care.
Figure 1. Global medical trends 2025 to 2027 (projected), globally and by region
| Region | 2025 | 2026 expected | 2027 projected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global† | 9.8% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| Latin America† | 10.2% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| North America | 9.4% | 10.5% | 10.5% |
| Asia Pacific | 12.2% | 12.8% | 12.6% |
| Europe† | 8.7% | 8.4% | 8.3% |
| Middle East and Africa | 9.6% | 10.1% | 11.2% |
Medical inflation remains highest in Asia Pacific, while North America, the Middle East and Africa are expected to see accelerating trends through 2027. Europe continues to project the lowest regional medical trend at 8.3%.
The survey findings suggest that relief is unlikely in the near term. Nearly half (49%) of insurers that expect higher medical trends believe these increases will persist for more than three years, while 69% report growing pressure from clients to reduce plan rates. As healthcare affordability becomes an increasing concern, understanding the factors driving these trends will be critical to managing future costs.
What comes next?
The full 2027 Global Medical Trends Survey will explore the forces shaping medical costs, including:
- The structural and service-level factors driving global and regional medical trends
- The growing impact of cancer and other high-cost conditions
- How GLP-1 coverage for obesity is evolving
- The cost increases for expatriate medical plans for globally mobile populations
- The strategies insurers consider most effective for managing healthcare spending
- How employers are balancing affordability, employee wellbeing and access to care
Stay tuned for the release of the full report in early November. To be among the first to receive a copy, submit your details using the form on this page.
About the survey
The 2027 Global Medical Trends Survey reflects the perspectives of leading health insurers and WTW brokers around the world. The survey examines projected medical cost trends, the factors driving healthcare spending and the actions employers are taking to manage costs while supporting employee wellbeing and access to care.
A total of 393 leading health insurers covering 78 countries participated in our survey, which was in field June through August 2026. Additionally, we received input for 74 countries from WTW brokers. The combined data covers 92 countries.
Where we have data from both insurers and brokers, the country trend is calculated by taking an average of the insurer and broker trends.
We use GDP per capita as the weighting factor for regional and global trend rates, to lessen the effect of market size and currency issues.
Survey Report
2026 Global Medical Trends Survey
