The Global Direct Inpatient Cost of Antimicrobial Resistance: A Modelling Study

This study estimates the global direct inpatient healthcare expenditure attributable to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and projects future expenditures under different scenarios. Using the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s estimates of AMR burden, and a novel epidemiological literature review, new estimates of AMR inpatients admission volumes are produced. Following a literature review of 232 cost studies and statistical modelling, the analysis provides a comprehensive estimate of AMR’s financial burden in the healthcare sector for 204 countries. Globally, the study estimates there are 25.4 million hospital admissions with AMR infections annually, representing 3.5 percent of global admissions, with total excess inpatient healthcare expenditure due to AMR estimated at $66.4 billion annually. The study also finds that low- and middle-income countries bear a disproportionate share of these costs relative to their healthcare budgets, with low-income countries spending 2.0 percent and lower-middle-income countries spending 1.5 percent of total healthcare expenditure on AMR-related costs. Future projections indicate that AMR-related healthcare expenditure is likely to increase, potentially reaching $159.4 billion by 2050.