Health statistics at regional level

Data extracted in March 2025 (except data from EU-SILC: April 2025).

Planned article update: September 2026.

Highlights

In 2023, 83.4% of the EU’s population lived within 15 minutes driving time of a hospital

Across the EU, 4.0% of all deaths in 2022 were due to mental and behavioural disorders: Overijssel (eastern Netherlands) and Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste (northern Italy) had the highest regional shares, at 9.4%.

Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)

Health is an important priority for most Europeans who expect to receive efficient healthcare services – for example, if they contract a disease or are in an accident – alongside timely and reliable public health information. The overall health of the European Union’s (EU’s) population is also closely linked to that of the environment through – among other influences – the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.

A key principle included within the European Pillar of Social Rights is that everyone in the EU should have access to affordable, preventive and curative healthcare of good quality. As part of its work within this area, the European Commission has a range of specific actions, including:

This year’s edition of the Eurostat regional yearbook highlights mental and behavioural disorders. Initiatives related to these conditions are an integral part of the EU’s public health policy, which prioritises prevention, treatment and social inclusion. In 2023, in response to the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission published a Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health (COM(2023) 298 final). This initiative promotes better access to mental healthcare, workplace well-being and research, aiming to give mental health the same importance as physical health. The European Pillar of Social Rights further reinforces mental health as a key aspect of well-being, linking it to employment, education and healthcare policies.

The European Commission addresses alcohol use and mental and behavioural disorders through actions under the EU4Health programmes. It supports the integration of mental health services into primary care and encourages early intervention, while collaborating with EU countries to reduce alcohol-related harm via taxation, labelling and marketing restrictions.

In 2022, mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of alcohol accounted for 0.35% of all deaths within the EU. There were 6 NUTS level 2 regions with shares above 1.00% (see the infographic above):

the Slovenian regions of Zahodna Slovenija (1.66%) and Vzhodna Slovenija (1.51%)
Hannover (1.43%) in Germany
Pomorskie (1.32%), Mazowiecki regionalny (1.24%) and Zachodniopomorskie (1.23%) in Poland.

Healthcare resources and unmet needs

Accessibility of hospitals

In 2023, 83.4% of the EU’s population lived within 15 minutes driving time of a hospital

Accessibility broadly refers to how quickly and easily people can reach a destination given the available means of transport. Policymakers are increasingly prioritising it in areas such as land-use, transport and regional planning. In rural areas, limited access to key services – such as hospitals, pharmacies, schools, banks or supermarkets – remains a significant challenge.

In 2023, 83.4% of the EU’s population lived within a 15 minute drive of a hospital (note: EU countries may apply different definitions for a ‘hospital’). In 125 NUTS level 3 regions, the entire population (100.0%) had this level of access, as shown by the darkest shade of blue in Map 1. Germany accounted for most of this group – 96 out of the 125 regions – primarily within predominantly urban regions. The other 29 regions included:

6 from Belgium
6 from the Netherlands (including Groot-Amsterdam)
4 from Greece (including Kentrikos Tomeas Athinon and 3 others within close proximity)
4 from France (including Paris and 3 others within close proximity)
3 from Poland (including Miasto Warszawa)
both from Malta
2 from Spain (Ceuta and Melilla)
2 from Italy (Milano and its neighbouring region of Monza e della Brianza).

In 2023, more than 1 in 4 EU regions (318 out of the 1 160 NUTS level 3 regions for which data are available) had at least 95.0% of their population living within a 15-minute drive of a hospital. These regions were typically densely populated and/or predominantly urban. Most of the capital regions in the EU had accessibility rates of at least 90.0%, although slightly lower values were recorded in Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia. By contrast, Osrednjeslovenska (the capital region of Slovenia) and Stockholms län (the capital region of Sweden) reported that less than 80.0% of the population lived within a 15-minute drive of a hospital; this was also the case in Cyprus.

In 2023, 91 NUTS level 3 regions (those shown with a light yellow shade in Map 1) had a minority of their population living within a 15-minute drive of a hospital. Most of these regions where less than half of the population lived within 15 minutes driving time of a hospital were located in predominantly rural regions across eastern and southern EU countries:

Romania (21 regions) and Greece (15 regions) recorded the highest counts
followed by Croatia and Spain (both 9 regions), Poland (8), Portugal (7) and Slovenia (6).

At the lower end of the distribution, 6 regions in the EU had less than 10.0% of their population living within a 15-minute drive of a hospital:

Mehedinţi, Covasna and Tulcea in Romania
Chalkidiki, Thesprotia and Lefkada in Greece (with Lefkada having none of its population living within a 15-minute drive of a hospital).

Map 1: Accessibility to healthcare services
Source: Eurostat calculations based on TomTom Multinet 2022, Geostat population grid 2021, Eurostat-GISCO hospital locations 2023

Hospital beds and medical doctors

More about the data: the number of hospital beds and medical doctors

The number of hospital beds and the number of medical doctors serve as indicators to measure the capacity of healthcare systems.

The number of hospital beds includes beds which are regularly maintained and staffed and immediately available for the care of patients admitted to hospitals; these statistics cover beds in general hospitals and in speciality hospitals.
The number of medical doctors includes generalists, such as general practitioners (GPs), as well as medical and surgical specialists. These doctors provide services to patients as consumers of health care, including: giving advice, conducting medical examinations and making diagnoses, applying preventive medical methods, prescribing medication and treating diagnosed illnesses, giving specialised medical or surgical treatment.

Eurostat gives preference to the concept of ‘practising’ healthcare staff. The data for Greece, Portugal and Finland relate to medical doctors ‘licensed to practice’, while the data for Slovakia, North Macedonia and Türkiye relate to ‘professionally active’ medical doctors.

Within this section on healthcare resources:

only national data are available for Germany and the Netherlands for hospital beds
only national data are available for Germany and Ireland for medical doctors.

Zachodniopomorskie (Poland) and Bucureşti-Ilfov (Romania) were the only EU regions to report more than 1 000 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022

In 2022, there were 2.31 million hospital beds across the EU. This equated to 516 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants, or – expressed in a different way – there was, on average, 1 hospital bed for every 194 people.

Figure 1 highlights the NUTS level 2 regions with the highest and lowest numbers of hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022. Zachodniopomorskie – a region in north-west Poland that includes the city of Szczecin – recorded the highest ratio, with 1 232 beds per 100 000 inhabitants. Bucureşti-Ilfov – Romania’s capital region – was the only other region in the EU to report more than 1 000 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants, at 1 067 beds.

Major hospitals, specialised medical centres and teaching hospitals are often located in capital regions, potentially increasing their hospital bed capacity (although different healthcare models, funding and population density can also impact the distribution). This pattern of a relatively high number of hospital beds in capital regions was particularly evident in eastern EU countries: in 2022, București-Ilfov (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Yuzhen tsentralen (Bulgaria) and Praha (Czechia) all featured among the 10 regions with the highest numbers of hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants.

At the other end of the distribution, 7 out of the 10 regions with the lowest ratios of hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants were located in Sweden, including the capital region of Stockholm (203 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants in 2022). This pattern may reflect, at least in part, the Swedish healthcare model that focuses on primary and preventative care, outpatient services and shorter hospital stays, as well as care at home or in nursing facilities. Other regions with very low ratios included:

the autonomous Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla
the French outermost region of Mayotte, which had the lowest ratio across EU regions, at 155 hospital beds per 100 000 inhabitants.

Attiki (Greece) had a ratio of medical doctors per 100 000 inhabitants that was more than twice as high as the EU average in 2022

In 2022, there were 1.83 million medical doctors in the EU, equivalent to a ratio of 408 doctors for every 100 000 inhabitants, or 1 doctor for every 245 people. This EU average masks significant regional disparities across NUTS level 2: Figure 1 provides information about those EU regions that had the highest and lowest ratios of doctor-to-population ratios. At the top end of the distribution:

Attiki, the Greek capital region, had the highest ratio, at 827 medical doctors per 100 000 inhabitants; this may reflect, at least in part
- data for Greece being based on licensed professionals, rather than practicing doctors; as a result, Greek data is likely to be higher (compared with those of other EU countries) due to the inclusion of some doctors who are engaged in other professional activities, for example, teaching, research or consulting
- the availability of medical education and training that encourages both domestic and international doctors to settle/remain in the Greek capital
Ipeiros, another Greek region, had the 2nd highest ratio, with 769 medical doctors per 100 000 inhabitants
Bucureşti-Ilfov, the Romanian capital region, had the 3rd highest ratio, at 765 per 100 000 inhabitants
there were several (other) capital regions with high ratios, for example, Praha in Czechia (757 per 100 000 inhabitants), Wien in Austria (706), Grad Zagreb in Croatia (662) and Bratislavský kraj in Slovakia (also 662).

Low doctor-to-population ratios may result from a variety of factors, including the organisation of healthcare resources, limited funding and/or a lack of trained staff (recruitment issues, excessive workload/burnout). Across the EU, it is relatively common to find regions struggling with the recruitment and retention of key healthcare professionals.

EU regions with relatively low doctor-to-population ratios are predominantly rural and often remote. In 2022:

the French outermost region of Mayotte had the lowest ratio among NUTS level 2 regions, with 86 medical doctors per 100 000 inhabitants
Åland, an archipelago in Finland, had the 2nd lowest ratio, at 106 per 100 000 inhabitants
the Dutch regions of Flevoland (133 per 100 000 inhabitants) and Zeeland (166) had, respectively, the 3rd and 4th lowest ratios
several predominantly rural regions located in eastern EU countries also recorded relatively low ratios, including the southern Romanian regions of Sud-Muntenia and Sud-Est, the northern Hungarian region of Észak-Magyarország, and the central Polish region of Mazowiecki regionalny (which surrounds its capital).

Figure 1: Number of hospital beds and medical doctors
Source: Eurostat (hlth_rs_bdsrg2), (hlth_rs_bds1), (hlth_rs_physreg), (hlth_rs_phys) and (demo_gind)

Unmet needs for medical examination

Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination refer to a person’s own assessment of whether they needed an examination or treatment for a specific type of health care, but did not have it or did not seek it. In 2024, 3.6% of the EU population (aged 16 years or over) that was considered having a need for medical care reported being unable to receive a medical examination due to financial reasons, long waiting lists or distance.

Figure 2 provides information on the NUTS level 2 regions with the highest and lowest shares of people reporting unmet needs for medical examination. Note that the denominator for this indicator concerns only those people (aged 16 years or over) who were considered having a need for medical care. In 2024, there were 23 out of 161 regions for which data are available that recorded double-digit shares of people with unmet needs.

The highest shares were reported in Greek regions, with peaks in Sterea Elláda (28.9%) and Notio Aigaio (25.5%). All 13 Greek regions featured among the 14 regions with the highest shares, with Umbria in Italy the only non-Greek region to record a comparable level.
The 9 other regions with double-digit shares comprised:
- 5 regions from Finland – Länsi-Suomi, Åland, Helsinki-Uusimaa, Etelä-Suomi and Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi
- Sud-Est (Romania)
- Estonia
- Puglia (Italy)
- Latvia.

Figure 2: Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination due to financial reasons, long waiting list or distance
Source: Eurostat (hlth_silc_08b_r) and (hlth_silc_08b)

Mortality and causes of death

A wide range of factors determine regional mortality patterns, with causes of death linked, among other issues, to age structures, sex distributions, access to and the quality of health care, living/working conditions, types of occupation, lifestyle choices and the surrounding environment. Since a region’s (or a country’s) population structure can strongly influence crude death rates, statisticians typically compare statistics on the causes of death using standardised death rates.

More about the data: standardised death rates

This section about causes of death presents information that is based on standardised death rates. Statisticians compute these rates by taking a weighted average of age-specific mortality rates, using the age distribution of a standard reference population as the weighting factor.

Since age and sex significantly influence most causes of death, standardised death rates can be used to improve comparability. By eliminating the impact of different age structures between regions – as elderly people are more likely to die than younger people – the resulting measure allows more accurate comparisons across space and/or over time.

In 2022, there were 5.2 million deaths in the EU

The COVID-19 crisis led to an increase in the total number of deaths across the EU: this figure increased by more than 0.5 million in 2020 and by a further 112 000 in 2021 to reach a peak of 5.3 million. In 2022, the total number of deaths in the EU fell 139 000 to 5.2 million. The downward pattern accelerated in 2023, as the number of deaths fell below 5.0 million, although it remained above pre-pandemic levels.

Diseases of the circulatory system accounted for almost 1 in 3 deaths across the EU in 2022

Statistics on causes of death are based on the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10), with the latest data available for 2022. At an aggregated level, based on ICD-10 chapter headings:

diseases of the circulatory system – including heart attacks, heart diseases, hypertensive diseases and diseases of pulmonary circulation – accounted for 32.4% of all deaths in the EU
cancer (malignant neoplasms) was the 2nd most common cause of death – accounting for 22.6% of all deaths
diseases of the respiratory system – including conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia or asthma – accounted for 7.0% of all deaths
mental and behavioural disorders – which are highlighted in this year’s edition of the Eurostat regional yearbook (see below) – accounted for 4.0% of all deaths
although not covered in this edition, the share of deaths attributed to COVID-19 fell from 10.8% in 2021 to 6.0% in 2022 reflecting, at least in part, widespread vaccination, natural immunity, improved treatment and understanding of the disease and less overwhelmed health services.

In 2022, diseases of the circulatory system were the main cause of death in 78.5% (186 out of 237) of NUTS level 2 regions. The 2 darkest shades of blue in Map 2 highlight the 18 regions across the EU where at least half of all deaths were caused by diseases of the circulatory system.

The highest regional shares were in Bulgaria and Romania, where diseases of the circulatory system accounted for more than 50.0% of all deaths in every region:
- Yuzhen tsentralen (southern Bulgaria) had the highest share, at 66.2%, followed by Sud-Vest Oltenia (south-western Romania), with 65.1%
- 4 other regions in Bulgaria reported that more than 3 in 5 deaths were accounted for by diseases of the circulatory system.
The only other regions in the EU where diseases of the circulatory system accounted for at least 50.0% of all deaths were both regions in Lithuania and Dél-Alföld (southern Hungary); this was also the case in Latvia.

By contrast, there were 10 NUTS level 2 regions across the EU where diseases of the circulatory system accounted for less than 1 in 5 deaths in 2022 (as shown by the light yellow shade in Map 2). All 10 of these regions were located in France, with the lowest shares in the capital region of Ile-de-France (18.9%), the southern region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (18.7%) and the outermost region of Martinique (18.3%).

Map 2: Deaths due to diseases of the circulatory system
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)

In 2022, cancer accounted for 22.6% of all deaths in the EU and diseases of the respiratory system for 7.0%

Figure 3 presents information for the 3 principal causes of death in the EU – diseases of the circulatory system, cancer (malignant neoplasms) and diseases of the respiratory system – alongside information about deaths from mental and behavioural disorders (which are highlighted in this year’s edition of the Eurostat regional yearbook – see below).

The 1st part of the figure confirms that diseases of the circulatory system accounted for more than 50.0% of all deaths in Bulgarian and Romanian regions.
The Slovenian capital region of Zahodna Slovenija recorded the highest share of deaths from cancer (malignant neoplasms), at 30.6%. Relatively high shares were also reported in several regions of:
- Spain, where País Vasco had the highest share, at 27.9%
- France, where Pays de la Loire had the highest share, at 27.7%
- Ireland, where the capital region of Eastern and Midland had the highest share, at 27.2%.
Several island regions reported relatively high shares of deaths from respiratory diseases. This may be linked, among other factors, to long-term exposure to volcanic pollutants and ash. Região Autónoma da Madeira (Portugal) had the highest share, at 14.5%, followed by:
- Malta (12.8%)
- the eastern Belgian region of Prov. Liège (12.1%), which has a history of heavy industry such as coal mining and steel production
- Canarias in Spain (11.8%), where Saharan dust may also exacerbate respiratory issues.
Mental and behavioural disorders accounted for 4.0% of all deaths across the EU. Several Dutch regions recorded shares that were more than twice as high as the EU average, with Overijssel reporting the highest share (9.4%); the northern Italian region of Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste had a similar share.

The information presented in Figure 3 also highlights those regions with the lowest shares of deaths from specific diseases/disorders in 2022. Low shares may reflect, among other factors: a high share of total deaths for another particular disease, which overshadows the impact of others; under-reporting of certain diseases/disorders, for example, due to misdiagnosis or because some diseases are not officially recognised on death certificates.

Several regions across France recorded a very low share of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system. This may reflect, among other factors, healthier lifestyles, diet and/or widespread access to preventative screenings/treatments.
The lowest shares of cancer deaths were recorded across Bulgaria and Romania, often in regions characterised by a high share of deaths from diseases of the circulatory system. There were 8 regions in the EU where cancer accounted for less than 15.0% of all deaths: all 6 regions in Bulgaria, as well as the Romanian regions of Sud-Muntenia and Sud-Vest Oltenia. The lowest share of cancer deaths was recorded in Yugoiztochen in Bulgaria (11.9%).
Yuzhen tsentralen (Bulgaria) and Sostinės regionas (the capital region of Lithuania) had the lowest shares of deaths from respiratory diseases, both 2.3%. Several of the other regions characterised by low shares of deaths from respiratory diseases were Nordic regions, where low levels of air pollution may be an explanatory factor.
Bulgarian and Romanian regions had the lowest shares of deaths attributed to mental and behavioural disorders, often with shares close to zero. This was most notable in the southern Bulgarian region of Yuzhen tsentralen and the Romanian capital region of Bucureşti-Ilfov (both 0.0%).

Figure 3: Causes of death
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)

Focus on mental health

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified mental health challenges, especially for young people and those with pre-existing conditions. Isolation, uncertainty and disruptions to education and employment led to higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression, with lockdowns and restrictions exacerbating feelings of loneliness and emotional distress. Beyond individual struggles, the strain on mental health placed additional pressures on EU healthcare systems, increasing the demand for services, therapy and crisis intervention. Governments faced rising costs from disability claims and financial support for those unable to work, while lower employment rates and reduced productivity negatively impacted the EU economy.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU has significantly enhanced its focus on mental health, recognising the pandemic’s profound impact on some people’s well-being. In June 2023, the European Commission introduced a comprehensive approach to mental health, committing €1.23 billion to support EU countries in prioritising mental health alongside physical health. The strategy is anchored in 3 guiding principles:

implementing effective measures to prevent mental health issues before they arise
ensuring high-quality and affordable mental healthcare and treatment are accessible to all
supporting individuals to re-integrate into society after recovery from mental health challenges.

More about the data: mental and behavioural disorders

The statistics presented below on causes of death due to mental and behavioural disorders are primarily based on information pertaining to Chapter V of the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). This chapter refers to mental and behavioural disorders (ICD-10 F00-F99), which include:

organic mental disorders (including dementia in Alzheimer disease)
mental and behavioural disorders due to substance use
schizophrenia and delusional disorders
mood disorders
neurotic and stress-related disorders
behavioural syndromes
disorders of adult personality
mental retardation
disorders of psychological development
behavioural and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood
note these figures exclude intentional self-harm.

Intentional self-harm (ICD-10 X60-X84 and Y87) covers a range of purposely self-inflicted activities, including (attempted) suicide. The data also include sequelae (or ‘late effects’) of intentional self-harm, which can result in death 1 year or more after the initial incident. Intentional self-harm is classified by place of occurrence and/or type of activity and includes:

intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to
- drugs, medicaments and biological substances
- alcohol
- organic solvents, carbon monoxide and other gases
- pesticides and other chemicals
intentional self-harm by hanging, strangulation or suffocation
intentional self-harm by drowning
intentional self-harm by handgun, rifle and other firearms discharge
intentional self-harm by explosive material, smoke, fire or flames
intentional self-harm by sharp or by blunt objects
intentional self-harm by jumping from a high place, jumping or lying before a moving object, crashing a motor vehicle.

Regional differences in the level and organisation of care for people with mental and behavioural disorders reflect, at least in part, variations in healthcare systems, funding, cultural attitudes and historical developments.

Northern and western EU countries primarily provide mental healthcare in community settings.
By contrast, hospital-based models are more common across eastern EU countries, where patients are more likely to be treated in psychiatric hospitals; stigma around mental health issues persists, discouraging some individuals from seeking treatment.
In southern EU countries there is often limited public support for people with mental and behavioural disorders, leading to a greater reliance on family members to provide informal care.

Mental and behavioural disorders accounted for 4.0% of deaths across the EU in 2022

In 2022, there were 211 000 deaths across the EU attributed to mental and behavioural disorders; this was equivalent to 4.0% of all deaths. The regional distribution was relatively uniform, insofar as 112 out of 237 NUTS level 2 regions for which data are available (47.3% of all regions) reported mental and behavioural disorders accounting for a share of total deaths that was equal to or above the EU average.

Looking in more detail at the top end of the distribution, there were 22 regions where mental and behavioural disorders accounted for at least 7.0% of all deaths in 2022 (as shown by the darkest shade of blue in Map 3). They were mainly concentrated in western EU countries, including:

9 out of the 10 Dutch regions for which data are available
5 regions from Germany
the Irish capital region.

Overijssel (eastern Netherlands) and Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste (northern Italy) had the highest shares of deaths from mental and behavioural disorders in 2022, both 9.4%. An analysis of the underlying death rates reveals that Overijssel also had the highest standardised death rate for mental and behavioural disorders among EU regions, at 95.7 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. The rate in Overijssel was 2.3 times as high as the EU average (41.9 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants). There were 7 regions across the EU where the standardised death rate for mental and behavioural disorders was at least twice as high as the EU average; alongside Overijssel and Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste, the others were:

Groningen, Gelderland and Limburg in the Netherlands
Hannover in Germany
Övre Norrland in Sweden.

In 2022, there were 22 NUTS level 2 regions where less than 1.0% of all deaths were attributed to mental and behavioural disorders (as shown by the light yellow shade in Map 3). Apart from the French outermost region of Guyane, this group was concentrated in eastern EU countries, including:

every region of Bulgaria (6 regions) and Romania (8 regions)
4 regions from Poland
3 regions from Slovakia.

Map 3: Deaths due to mental and behavioural disorders
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)

Within the EU, women recorded a higher share of deaths due to mental and behavioural disorders than men

In 2022, mental and behavioural disorders claimed the lives of 131 000 women across the EU, compared with 80 000 men. This higher number reflects, at least in part, their greater longevity; on average, women live longer than men and are therefore more likely to develop a range of mental and behavioural disorders, some of which – such as dementia – disproportionately affect older adults. Based on standardised death rates, 4.7% of all female deaths across the EU in 2022 were due to mental and behavioural disorders, compared with 3.3% of all male deaths.

Several NUTS level 2 regions recorded shares of deaths from mental and behavioural disorders that were more than twice the EU average.

The highest shares among women were observed in Overijssel in the Netherlands (11.2%) and Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste in Italy (11.1%). There were 5 other regions with double-digit shares: Limburg, Gelderland and Noord-Brabant (all in the Netherlands), Mellersta Norrland (Sweden) and Malta. In addition, Övre Norrland (Sweden), Zeeland (the Netherlands) and País Vasco (Spain) recorded shares that were more than twice as high as the EU average.
The highest shares among men, 7.3%, were recorded in Hannover (Germany), Overijssel (the Netherlands) and Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste (Italy). There were 4 other regions in the Netherlands that reported shares that were more than twice as high as the EU average: Groningen, Gelderland, Limburg and Zeeland, while this was also the case in Övre Norrland, Malta and Midtjylland (Denmark).

Among older people, there were 194 500 deaths due to mental and behavioural disorders across the EU in 2022

In 2022, there were 194 500 deaths in the EU due to mental and behavioural disorders among people aged 65 years or over, compared with 16 300 deaths among those aged under 65. As with most causes of death, older people therefore accounted for the vast majority of deaths from mental and behavioural disorders, some 92.2% of all such deaths. An analysis by sex reveals a higher share among women, with 97.0% of female deaths from mental and behavioural disorders occurring among women aged 65 years or over, compared with 84.3% for men.

Based on standardised death rates, mental and behavioural disorders accounted for 2.2% of all deaths in 2022 across the EU among people who were younger than 65, and 4.4% of all deaths among people aged 65 years or over.

For the younger cohort, there were 7 NUTS level 2 regions where mental and behavioural disorders accounted for at least 5.0% of all deaths:

the German regions of Hannover (7.4%), Saarland (6.6%), Bremen (5.9%), Hamburg (5.7%) and Braunschweig (5.6%)
both regions from Slovenia – Vzhodna Slovenija (6.5%) and Zahodna Slovenija (5.6%).

In 2022, among people aged 65 years or over, the share of all deaths due to mental and behavioural disorders peaked in the Italian region of Valle d’Aosta/Vallée d’Aoste (10.6%) and the Dutch region of Overijssel (10.3%). There were 8 other regions across the EU where mental and behavioural disorders accounted for more than twice as many deaths as the EU average (4.4%):

Malta
the Dutch regions of Gelderland, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Zeeland and Groningen
the Swedish regions of Övre Norrland and Mellersta Norrland.

At the other end of the distribution, many regions in eastern EU countries reported very low shares of deaths due to mental and behavioural disorders. This may reflect lower life expectancy – as fewer people reach the ages where these disorders are most common – or different disease patterns, such as higher mortality from circulatory diseases (which, in turn, reduces the relative share of deaths from mental and behavioural causes). However, regardless of the region, the shares may reflect under-diagnosis and/or misreporting – for example, due to cultural stigma, reluctance to record mental illness as a cause of death, or national practices that prioritise physical conditions over mental and behavioural disorders when recording the main cause of death.

Figure 4: Deaths due to mental and behavioural disorders
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)

Almost 50 000 people across the EU died from intentional self-harm in 2022

Deaths from intentional self-harm represent a significant public health issue in the EU. These deaths, often reflecting deeper societal and mental health challenges, vary considerably by sex. Men are considerably more likely to die from intentional self-harm than women, partly due to the more fatal methods they typically use, whereas a higher proportion of women tend to survive attempts to end their own lives. In 2022, the EU recorded 37 000 male deaths from intentional self-harm compared with 12 000 female deaths; as such, there were approximately 3 times as many male (as female) deaths.

In 2022, the EU’s standardised death rate for intentional self-harm was 10.6 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. The male rate (17.2 deaths per 100 000 male inhabitants) was 3.6 times as high as the female rate (4.8 deaths per 100 000 female inhabitants). Among NUTS level 2 regions, the highest standardised death rates:

for both sexes (males and females together) were in the Hungarian region of Dél-Alföld, along with the French regions of Basse-Normandie and Bretagne
for males were in the Hungarian regions of Dél-Alföld and Alföld és Észak, and the Lithuanian region of Vidurio ir vakarų Lietuvos regionas
for females were in the Belgian regions of Prov. Luxembourg, Prov. West-Vlaanderen and Prov. Namur.

In 2022, intentional self-harm accounted for 1.0% of all deaths in the EU. The highest regional shares, across NUTS level 2 regions, were observed in the French regions of Bretagne and Basse-Normandie, where 2.3% of all deaths were due to intentional self-harm. There were 5 (other) predominantly rural regions in France – Franche-Comté, Poitou-Charentes, Pays de la Loire, Auvergne and Limousin – where intentional self-harm accounted for at least 2.0% of all deaths.

Map 4 presents the regional distribution of deaths from intentional self-harm, with the darkest shade of blue identifying 32 regions across the EU where intentional self-harm accounted for at least 1.6% of all deaths in 2022. This group included:

15 predominantly rural regions in France (including the 7 already mentioned above with the highest shares)
7 out of the 11 regions in Belgium
4 regions from Austria, 3 regions from Sweden, both regions in Slovenia and a single region in Finland.

In 2022, 21 regions across the EU reported that less than 0.5% of all deaths were attributed to intentional self-harm (as shown by the light yellow shade in Map 4). Nearly all of these regions were in southern or eastern EU countries, with the sole exception being the French outermost region of Mayotte. These regions with the lowest shares were clustered in Greece (7 regions), Bulgaria (4 regions) and Italy (3 regions). Among this group of 21, there were several capital regions, including Lazio in Italy (0.4%), Attiki in Greece (also 0.4%), Bucureşti-Ilfov in Romania (0.3%) and Yugozapaden in Bulgaria (0.1%).

Map 4: Deaths due to intentional self-harm
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)

Figure 5 highlights those NUTS level 2 regions where intentional self-harm accounted for the highest and lowest shares of all deaths. In 2022, Bretagne in north-western France had the highest share of deaths due to intentional self-harm, at 2.3%.

In 2022, intentional self-harm accounted for 0.6% of all female deaths in the EU. However, there were several regions in Belgium and France that had considerably higher shares. Prov. West-Vlaanderen had the highest share (1.7% of all female deaths were attributed to intentional self-harm), followed by 3 more Belgian regions: Prov. Luxembourg (1.5%), Prov. Namur (1.4%) and the capital region of Région de Bruxelles-Capitale / Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (1.3%). The next highest shares were in predominantly rural regions of France: Pays de la Loire, Bretagne, Basse-Normandie and Auvergne (all 1.3%). Sydsverige in Sweden (1.2%) was the only region from outside of Belgium and France to feature among those with the highest shares of female deaths attributed to intentional self-harm.

In 2022, intentional self-harm accounted for 1.3% of all male deaths in the EU. Much higher shares were recorded in several regions across France, with peaks of 2.8% in Bretagne, Basse-Normandie and Franche-Comté. They were followed by 4 more French regions: Poitou-Charentes (2.7%), Auvergne, Pays de la Loire and Limousin (all 2.5%). Outside of France, the highest shares of male deaths attributed to intentional self-harm were recorded in Tirol in Austria (2.5%) and in both Slovenian regions – Vzhodna Slovenija and Zahodna Slovenija – each with a share of 2.4%.

Figure 5: Deaths due to intentional self-harm
Source: Eurostat (hlth_cd_asdr2)

Source data for figures and maps

Regional health statistics

Data sources

Healthcare resources

Until reference year 2020, non-expenditure data on healthcare resources, such as data on the number of hospital beds or the number of medical doctors, were submitted to Eurostat on the basis of a gentlemen’s agreement; in other words, there was no EU legislation for the collection of regional data on these subjects.

As of reference year 2021, countries submit data to Eurostat on the basis of Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/2294 as regards statistics on healthcare facilities, healthcare human resources and healthcare utilisation, and based on a gentlemen’s agreement established in the framework of the Eurostat Working Group on Public Health Statistics.

The information presented within this chapter is mainly based on national administrative sources and therefore reflects country-specific ways of organising health care and may not be completely comparable; a few countries compile their statistics from surveys. Annual data for healthcare resources are provided in absolute numbers and as rates per 100 000 inhabitants.

For country specific notes, please refer to the annexes of the European metadata report on healthcare resources. These annexes are found at the end of the report, when viewing in the ‘full metadata’ mode, detailing national methodological differences.

The Healthcare non-expenditure statistics manual provides an overview of the classifications used for both mandatory variables and variables provided on a voluntary basis.

Causes of death

Data on causes of death provide information on mortality patterns and form an important element of public health information. This dataset refers to the underlying cause of death, which – according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – is ‘the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury’.

Since reference year 2011, data for causes of death have been provided to Eurostat based on the Commission Regulation (EC) No 1338/2008 on Community statistics on public health and health and safety at work and the implementing Regulation (EU) No 328/2011 on Community statistics on public health and health and safety at work, as regards statistics on causes of death. The Causes of death statistics manual – 2025 edition provides further information on the variables and methodology followed in processing the data.

The medical certification of death is an obligation in all EU countries. Causes of death statistics are based on information derived from medical certificates. The dataset is built upon standards laid out in the WHO’s International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD). This classification provides codes, rules and guidelines for mortality coding, with statistics on the causes of death classified according to a European shortlist that is based on the 10th revision of the ICD (ICD-10).

Statistics on causes of death may be broken down by sex, 5-year age group, residency and country of death. Annual data are provided in absolute numbers, as crude death rates and as standardised death rates; Eurostat also received monthly data from most EU countries. The information presented in this chapter refers to regional death rates for NUTS level 2 regions of residence for the latest available reference year (2022).

Indicator definitions

Available beds in hospitals

Hospital bed numbers provide information on healthcare capacities, in this case the maximum number of patients who can be admitted to hospitals. The total number of hospital beds includes all hospital beds which are regularly maintained and staffed and immediately available for the care of admitted patients. This count is equal to the sum of the following categories: i) curative (acute) care beds, ii) rehabilitative care beds, iii) long-term care beds and iv) other hospital beds.

Medical doctors

A medical doctor (or physician) has a degree in medicine. ‘Practising’ physicians are those who have successfully completed studies in medicine at university level, have a license to practise and who are working to provide services to individual patients (such as conducting medical examinations, making diagnoses or performing operations). Excluded from the count of practising physicians are students who have not yet graduated, unemployed physicians, retired physicians or physicians working abroad, as well as physicians working in administration, research or other posts that do not involve direct contact with patients.

Eurostat gives preference to the concept of practising physicians, although some data may be presented for ‘professionally active’ physicians (a physician for whom a medical education is a prerequisite for the execution of their job), or for ‘licensed’ physicians (a broader concept, encompassing the other 2 types of physician as well as other registered physicians who are entitled to practise as healthcare professionals but are unemployed, retired, and so on).

Deaths

A death, according to the United Nations definition, is the ‘permanent disappearance of all vital functions without possibility of resuscitation at any time after a live birth has taken place’; this definition therefore excludes foetal deaths (stillbirths).

Causes of death

The underlying cause of death is defined as the disease or injury which started the train (sequence) of morbid (disease-related) events which led directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury. Although international definitions are harmonised, the resulting statistics on causes of death may not be fully comparable, as classifications can vary when the cause of death is multiple or difficult to evaluate, and because of different notification procedures.

Within this publication, data are presented for the main cause of death (according to ICD-10):

all causes of death
cancer (malignant neoplasms) (ICD-10 C00–C97)
mental and behavioural disorders (ICD-10 F00–F99)
- dementia (ICD-10 F00–F03)
diseases of the circulatory system (ICD-10 I00–I99)
diseases of the respiratory system (ICD-10 J00–J99)
intentional self-harm (ICD-10 X60–X84 and Y87).

Context

Health systems across the EU vary in terms of their organisation, financing and management, with individual EU countries largely responsible for delivering health services. Policy developments in the EU follow an open method of coordination, a voluntary process that aims to set common objectives and encourage national authorities to cooperate. The COVID-19 crisis underlined the need for cooperation on health matters and drew attention to the EU’s ability to respond to shocks and health crises.

Within the European Commission, the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety and the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion are responsible for policy actions on health. These actions focus on protecting people from health threats and disease, ensuring consumer protection (food safety issues), promoting lifestyle choices (fitness and healthy eating), and improving workplace safety.

EU4Health

Regulation (EU) 2021/522 establishing a Programme for the Union’s action in the field of health (‘EU4health programme’) for the period 2021 to 2027 provides funding to EU countries, health organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and is designed, among other objectives, to boost the EU’s preparedness for major cross-border health threats by creating:

reserves of medical supplies for crises
a group of healthcare staff and experts that authorities can mobilise to respond to crises
increased surveillance of health threats.

EU4Health has a budget of €5.8 billion for the period 2021 to 2027 and aims to improve health outcomes by supporting efficient and inclusive health systems.

The European Health Union

In May 2024, the European Commission summarised work done and progress made within the health domain through a communication The European Health Union: acting together for people’s health (COM(2024) 206 final). It highlights a range of actions designed to make people’s lives safer and healthier:

tackling serious cross-border health threats
creating a Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA)
bolstering the mandates of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA)
providing access for all to safe, affordable and innovative medicines
ensuring the availability of critical medicines and medical devices
fighting anti-microbial resistance (AMR)
ensuring the highest level of protection for those donating/receiving substances such as blood, tissues and cells by updating rules on the safety and quality of substances of human origin (SoHO)
making health systems more resilient
preventing non-communicable diseases
reinforcing a commitment to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan
tackling rare diseases
safeguarding mental health
harnessing the power of digitalisation in health.

Digital health and care

Digital health encompasses a broad range of tools and services aimed at utilising information and communication technologies to enhance and support various aspects of healthcare. These include prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and the on-going management of health conditions.

Regulation (EU) 2025/327 on the European Health Data Space (EHDS) establishes a European Health Data Space (EHDS), the 1st EU-wide data space that is dedicated to a specific sector. The primary goal of the regulation is to establish a framework for the use and exchange of electronic health data across the EU. It seeks to enhance individuals’ access to and control over their personal health data, while enabling the secondary use / reuse of electronic health data – such as electronic health records (EHRs), insurance claims, genomic and registry data – for purposes beyond individual care, including public interest, statistics, policy support, public health and scientific research. Strict safeguards include anonymisation/pseudonymisation, secure environments, permit based access, transparency and patient opt out rights.

Some of the key objectives of the EHDS include:

empowering individuals to access, control and share their electronic health data across borders (primary use of the data)
enabling the secure and trustworthy reuse of health data for research, innovation, policymaking and regulatory activities (secondary use of the data)
promoting the creation of a single, unified market for EHR systems across the EU, fostering interoperability.

These new rules are designed to maximise the potential benefits of this rich source of health data across a wide range of stakeholders – healthcare professionals, researchers, regulators and innovators – while ensuring strict compliance with the EU’s data protection standards. By improving the overall functioning of the internal market for digital health services, healthcare systems across Europe should be better equipped to respond to current and future challenges.

Comprehensive approach to mental health

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU enhanced its focus on mental health issues, recognising the pandemic’s profound impact on the well-being of its citizens. On 7 June 2023, the European Commission adopted a Communication on a comprehensive approach to mental health (COM(2023) 298 final), committing €1.23 billion in funding through various financial instruments to support EU countries in prioritising mental health alongside physical health. The strategy seeks to:

integrate mental health across policies, recognising that mental health involves a range of different policy areas (such as employment, education, research, digitalisation, urban planning, culture, environment and climate)
promote good mental health, prevention and early intervention for mental health problems
boost the mental health of children and young people
help those most in need (especially vulnerable groups, for example, victims of gender-based violence, single mothers, disabled people, homeless people)
tackle psychosocial risks at work (work-related stress, job insecurity, bullying/harassment, poor work-life balance, social isolation)
reinforce mental health systems and improve access to treatment and care (a key principle in the European Pillar of Social Rights is the right for everyone to have timely access to affordable, preventive and curative care)
breaking through stigma
foster mental health globally.

Health agencies in the EU

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Frösunda (Sweden) is an EU agency. It provides surveillance of emerging health threats so that the EU can respond more rapidly, pools knowledge on current and emerging threats and works with national counterparts to develop disease monitoring across the EU.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), located in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), helps national regulators by coordinating scientific assessments of the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines used across the EU. All medicines in the EU must be approved nationally or by the EU before being placed on the market. The safety of pharmaceuticals that are sold in the EU is monitored throughout a product’s life cycle: individual products may be banned or their sales/marketing suspended.

The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) in Lisbon (Portugal) is the central authority on illicit drugs in the EU. It frequently identifies important drug-related threats, helping EU countries be better prepared to handle them.

This article forms part of Eurostat’s annual flagship publication, the Eurostat regional yearbook.

You can explore the maps interactively using Eurostat’s Statistical Atlas.

Explore further

Database

Health (hlth), see

Health care (hlth_care)

Health care resources (hlth_res)

Heath care staff (hlth_staff)

Physicians by NUTS 2 region (hlth_rs_physreg)

Health care facilities (hlth_facil)

Available beds in hospitals by NUTS 2 region (hlth_rs_bdsrg2)

Causes of death (hlth_cdeath)

General mortality (hlth_cd_gmor)

Causes of death - standardised death rate by NUTS 2 region of residence (hlth_cd_asdr2)

Regional statistics by NUTS classification (reg), see

Regional health statistics (reg_hlth)

Causes of death (reg_hlth_cdeath)

Health care: resources and patients (non-expenditure data) (reg_hlth_care)

Thematic section

Publications

News articles

Paper and PDF publications

Eurostat regional yearbook – 2025 edition

Online publications

Selected datasets

Health (t_hlth), see

Health status (t_hlth_state)

Health care (t_hlth_care)

Causes of death (t_hlth_cdeath)

Regional statistics (t_reg), see

Regional health statistics (t_reg_hlth)

All causes of death by NUTS 2 regions (tgs00057)

Death due to cancer by NUTS 2 regions (tgs00058)

Death due to ischaemic heart diseases by NUTS 2 regions (tgs00059)

Available beds in hospitals by NUTS 2 regions (tgs00064)

Methodology

Manuals and further methodological information

Metadata

Causes of death (SIMS metadata file – hlth_cdeath_sims)
Health care resources (ESMS metadata file – hlth_res_esms)
Health variables of EU-SILC (ESMS metadata file – hlth_silc_01_esms)

External links

Visualisation