Appendix T — 💵 Medical Research Spending

Global Government Medical Research Spending: The Pathetic Truth

Here’s the complete accounting of humanity’s commitment to curing disease. Spoiler: It’s embarrassing.

The Global Total: $68 Billion (A Rounding Error)

In 2024, all governments on Earth combined spent approximately $68 billion on medical research.

For context:

Global military spending: $2.7 trillion (40X more)
Global GDP: $105 trillion (we spend 0.065% on not dying)
Annual pet food sales: $150 billion (dogs eat better than researchers)
Single US aircraft carrier: $13 billion (one boat = 19% of global medical research)

Country-by-Country Breakdown: The Hall of Shame

United States: The Alleged Leader

NIH Budget (2024): $47.1 billion

Breakdown:

National Cancer Institute: $7.22 billion (less than one stealth bomber)
National Institute on Aging: $4.41 billion (we spend more on botox)
All other institutes: $35.47 billion (combined)

But wait, there’s less!

31% goes to “administrative costs” (bureaucrats need yachts)
Universities steal 40-60% as “indirect costs” (new football stadiums)
Actual research: Maybe $20 billion if we’re generous

Per American:

Military spending: $3,000/year
Medical research: $142/year
Ratio: 21:1 for death over life

China: The Rising (But Still Pathetic) Power

Medical Research Spending (2024): ~$15 billion (estimated)

The math:

Total R&D spending: $668 billion
Health/medical share: ~2.2%
Most goes to: Making Americans nervous, not curing cancer

The Irony:

Builds hospitals shaped like aircraft carriers
Still can’t cure the diseases inside them
Spends 97X more on domestic surveillance (~$200B) than medical research (~$15B)

European Union: The Bureaucracy Brigade

Horizon Europe Health Budget (2021-2027): €8.2 billion

Per year: €1.17 billion (~$1.3 billion)
Per EU citizen per year: $2.89
A cup of coffee: $3.50
Your life: Not worth a latte

By Country:

Germany: ~$6 billion/year (excellent at following rules, terrible at funding cures)
France: ~$4 billion/year (wine budget: probably higher)
UK: ~$3 billion/year (tea budget: definitely higher)
Everyone else: Pocket change

Japan: Aging into Oblivion

Medical Research: ~$5 billion/year

The tragedy:

Oldest population on Earth
Spends less on aging research than on vending machines
Robot companions: Funded
Actual Alzheimer’s cure: Not funded

The Rest: A Global Embarrassment

India: $3 billion

Population: 1.4 billion
Per person: $2.14/year
Less than a cup of chai

Russia: $800 million

Vodka budget: Classified (but definitely more)
Nuclear weapons: $65 billion
Keeping citizens alive: Optional

Brazil: $600 million

Carnival budget: Also more
Actually has universal healthcare
Just doesn’t fund finding cures

Canada: $1.5 billion

Polite about dying
Apologizes for not curing your disease
Sorry

Australia: $900 million

Everything there tries to kill you
Government joins in by not funding antidotes

South Korea: $2.1 billion

K-pop budget: Probably competitive
Plastic surgery innovation: World-leading
Actual disease cures: 노 (No)

The Breakdown by Disease: Where the Pennies Go

Global Disease-Specific Funding (Approximate)

Cancer: ~$5.5 billion/year (public/philanthropic funding; $7.2B from NCI alone)

Sounds like a lot until you do the math
Divided by 10.4 million annual deaths
= $529 per death to maybe prevent it
A basic cancer screening costs more

Heart Disease: ~$8 billion globally

Kills 18 million annually
= $444 per death
A nice dinner costs more

Infectious Diseases: ~$12 billion

Mostly after pandemics start
Preparation budget: ~$0
“Surprised Pikachu face” budget: Unlimited

Mental Health: ~$3 billion globally

Depression affects 280 million
= $10.71 per suffering person
Therapy session: $200
Math: Depressing

Rare Diseases: ~$6.9 billion (NIH alone)

400 million people affected
= $17.25 per person
Still less than a cheap pizza
Your rare disease child: Worth less than lunch

Aging Research: ~$500 million globally

Everyone ages (citation needed)
Everyone dies from it
Investment: Basically zero
Anti-aging creams: $50 billion (10X more)

The Purchasing Power Parity Excuse (And Why It’s BS)

“But China’s $15 billion goes further than America’s $47 billion!”

Cool story. Let’s check:

Chinese researcher salaries: 1/2 to 1/3 of American (average $38K-43K vs $89K-130K)
MRI machine: Costs the same everywhere
Microscope: Also same price
Actual impact: Maybe 2X more efficient, not 5X
Still pathetic: Absolutely

Historical Trend: Getting Worse

Global Medical Research as % of GDP:

1960: 0.12%
1980: 0.10%
2000: 0.08%
2024: 0.065%

We’re literally investing LESS in not dying as we get richer. It’s like evolution in reverse.

What $68 Billion Actually Buys

Current Reality:

50 new drugs approved annually (most are me-too drugs)
0 diseases cured since Hepatitis C (2014)
95% of diseases: Still no treatment
Time to develop one drug: 17 years
Success rate: 0.01%

What It Could Buy (If Spent Efficiently):

54,000 pragmatic trials (at $500K each)
Testing 1 million treatments simultaneously
Curing 10-20 diseases annually
But no: Bureaucracy needs feeding

The Military Comparison: Maximum Depression

Things That Get More Funding Than All Medical Research Combined:

F-35 Program: $1.7 trillion (lifetime cost)
- Doesn’t fly well
- Definitely doesn’t cure cancer
Nuclear Weapon Maintenance: $100 billion/year (globally)
- Maintains ability to end civilization
- Could have ended cancer instead
Afghanistan War (Annual Average): ~$110 billion/year
- Achieved: Nothing
- Could have cured: Multiple diseases
- Note: $300 million per day × 365 days
US Military Marching Bands: $500 million/year
- Musicians: Important
- Your tumor: Not important

The Corporate Comparison: Adding Insult to Injury

Companies That Spend More on R&D Than Governments on Medicine:

Amazon: $85 billion (selling you stuff > saving you)
Alphabet: $40 billion (knowing everything > curing anything)
Meta: $38 billion (virtual reality > actual reality)
Apple: $32 billion (prettier phones > longer lives)

The “Other Medical Research” Cope

“But pharmaceutical companies also do research!”

Yes, on:

Boner pills: $3 billion/year
Me-too drugs: $40 billion/year
Marketing: $180 billion/year globally (nearly matching R&D spending)
Total R&D: $300+ billion (but ROI declining, most goes to incremental drugs)

Total private + public: ~$370 billion globally Military + war costs: $11.4 trillion Ratio: Still 31:1 for death

Regional Spending Efficiency: Everyone Sucks Differently

Cost per Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) Saved:

UK: $50,000 (bureaucratic but trying)
USA: $150,000 (corruption tax)
China: $30,000 (when they report honestly)
India: $5,000 (necessity breeds efficiency)
Global average: $75,000 (pathetic everywhere)

The Bottom Line: A Species-Wide Failure

Humanity’s Priorities (2024):

Killing each other: $2.7 trillion
Pet food: $150 billion
Cosmetics: $311-420 billion
Video games: $178-299 billion
Saving human lives: $68 billion

What This Means:

Your government values your dog’s dinner more than your cancer treatment
Military bands get more funding than rare disease research
One fighter jet costs more than entire disease research programs
We’re the only species that pays to kill itself

The 1% Solution:

1% of military spending: $27 billion
Added to current spending: $95 billion total
Increase: 40%
Lives saved: Millions
Political cost: Basically zero
Actual likelihood: ¯_(ツ)_/¯

The Final Insult: It’s Getting Worse

Projected 2030 Spending (Current Trajectory):

Military: $3.5 trillion (↑30%)
Medical research: $72 billion (↑6%)
Gap widening: Exponentially
Your cancer: Still there
Fighter jets: Shinier

This is your species. This is your government. This is why you’ll die of something preventable while a drone flies overhead.

The solution exists. The money exists. The technology exists.

The will to live, apparently, does not.

P.S. - Every government claims to care about your health. They’re lying. The budgets don’t lie. Math is beautiful that way.