Health at a Glance: Europe 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak has spread in 2020 to become the most severe pandemic in the last century, testing the resilience of European health systems.

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Air pollution is a major health risk, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths per year. It has substantial welfare and economic impacts because of its effect on mortality, health care costs and productivity.

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Improvements in life expectancy slowed down markedly in several countries prior to COVID-19, and large health inequalities by gender and socioeconomic status persist.

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Modifiable risk factors to health, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, unhealthy nutrition, lack of physical activity and obesity, contribute greatly to the burden of non-communicable diseases and premature mortality.

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Progress has been made in tackling life-threatening diseases like cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Promoting patient-centred care has become a growing priority across the EU.

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Most EU countries have universal health coverage, but the range of services covered and degree of cost-sharing vary. Effective access can be restricted by health workforce shortages, waiting times or geographic barriers.

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Health spending per capita and as a share of GDP varies widely across EU countries, ranging from over 11% of GDP in some countries to less than 6% in others. The COVID-19 pandemic can be expected to increase the health spending share of GDP in most countries in 2020.

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