In these times of COVID-19, it is interesting to know how much is being spent on preventive care that aims to avoid or reduce the number or the severity of injuries and diseases, their consequences and complications.
On average in the EU, public and private expenditure on preventive care accounted for 2.8% of total health expenditure in 2018, with highest shares recorded in Italy (4.4%) and Finland (4.0%).
In contrast, the lowest share of preventive care expenditure was recorded in Slovakia (0.8% of total health expenditure), followed by Greece, Cyprus and Malta (all 1.3%) as well as Romania (1.4%).
Source dataset: hlth_sha11_hc
Relative to population size, preventive care expenditure was highest among the EU Member States in Sweden (€165 per inhabitant), Finland (€152), Germany (€148) and the Netherlands (€146) in 2018, while it was lowest in Romania and Slovakia (both €8 per inhabitant).
Source dataset: hlth_sha11_hc
For more information, you can visit the dedicated section of health statistics.
Notes:
- ‘Current healthcare expenditure’ quantifies the economic resources dedicated to health functions, excluding capital investment. Healthcare expenditure is primarily concerned with healthcare goods and services that are consumed by resident units, irrespective of where that consumption takes place (it may be in the rest of the world) or who is paying for it. As such, exports of healthcare goods and services (to non-resident units) are excluded, whereas imports of healthcare goods and services for final use are included. If interested, you can read our recent article on current healthcare expenditure across the EU here.
- ‘Preventive care’ means any measure that aims to avoid or reduce the number or the severity of injuries and diseases, their sequelae and complications. It includes interventions for both individual and collective consumption.
- The European Union (EU) includes 27 EU Member States. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Further information is published here.
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