In 2024, 3.6% of people aged 16 years or older in the EU who needed a medical examination or treatment reported that they were unable to receive it due to financial reasons, long waiting lists or distance from the medical providers.

The highest share of people with unmet medical needs was reported in Greece (21.9%), followed by Finland (12.4%) and Estonia (11.2%). By contrast, the lowest shares were recorded in Cyprus (0.1%), Malta (0.5%) and Czechia (0.6%).

Unmet needs for medical examination due to financial reasons, long waiting list or distance, 2024, % of people aged 16 and older in need of medical examination. Chart. See link to the full dataset below.

Source dataset: hlth_silc_08b

People at risk of poverty were more affected: 6.0% of them reported unmet medical needs, compared with 3.2% of those not at risk. The biggest differences between the two groups were observed in Greece (12.7 percentage points (pp)), Romania (10.7 pp) and Latvia (9.9 pp).