To brief UK DFID Regional Health Advisors in Asia at their annual meeting in Beijing in December 2005, IHP staff worked with colleagues in the Asia-Pacific NHA Network on an analysis of recent health financing trends in Asian countries. The results were prepared in the form of a presentation that was made, which summarised key patterns of spending and trends in the past decade. Key messages of the analysis were that (i) the trend in most Asian countries was towards increased reliance on public financing in the health sector, which was comparable to historical trends in Europe, (ii) exceptions to the pattern being China and Bangladesh, and (iii) out-of-pocket spending needed to be reduced because of its big impact on household poverty.