In a survey conducted by Mercer in February this year, a slight decline in the actual medical trend rate was experienced by insurers in 2017, just 0.4% below the average reported in their previous report. However, the average global medical trend rate of 9.5% remains close to three times that of economic inflation. Projections for 2018 reflect the potential for a 9.1% global average, with most countries reporting they expect the trend to remain consistent from last year.