More than two thirds (68.5%) of the European Union population perceive their health as either ‘good’ or ‘very good’, according to Eurostat data.
At the same time, the 2024 data also found that around one in 12 (8.5%) rate their health as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad’, with the remainder (23%) rating their health as ‘fair’.
Health perception is strongly correlated with age, the data showed. Among younger adults aged 16 to 24, 91.3% reported very good or good health.
This percentage gradually declines with age, dropping to 61.1% for those aged 55 to 64. Among people aged 65 and older, just 40.0% reported very good or good health.
Senior lifestyles
Despite this overall decline, notable differences exist across countries in the perception of health among the elderly. Ireland stands out with the highest share of older adults reporting very good or good health at 62.0%, followed by Belgium (57.4%) and Luxembourg (56.8%).
At the same time, a number of EU member states reported much lower self-perceived health among seniors. For example, only 12.5% of older adults in Lithuania rated their health positively, followed by Latvia at 13.1% and Portugal at 19.1%.
Other notable countries include France, where 44.2% of seniors consider themselves to have good or very good health, as well as 44.4% in Spain, 42.7% in Italy, and 36.6% in Germany.
The data was published by Eurostat on 7 April, to coincide with World Health Day. Read more here.
