EU countries by unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list)

Estonia had the highest unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list) of 27 EU countries in 2019, at 15.5%. Malta had the lowest, at 0%. The median was 1.4% and the figure for the European Union (27) was 1.7%. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest15.5Estonia

Lowest0Malta

Median1.427 EU countries

European Union (27)1.7History

Map of EU countries, 2019

Under 0.3
0.3 to 1.4
1.4 to 1.8
1.8 to 3.9
3.9 and over

%, 2019. Source: Eurostat, Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2019

%. Source: Eurostat, Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	EU countries	2019 (%)	Change on 2018
1	Estonia	15.5	-0.9 pts
2	Greece	8.1	-0.7 pts
3	Romania	4.9	0 pts
4	Finland	4.6	-0.1 pts
5	Latvia	4.3	-1.9 pts
6	Poland	4.2	0 pts
7	Slovenia	2.9	-0.4 pts
8	Slovakia	2.7	+0.1 pts
9	Ireland Series break	2	0 pts
10	Belgium Series break	1.8	0 pts
10	Denmark	1.8	+0.5 pts
10	Italy	1.8	-0.6 pts
13	Portugal	1.7	-0.4 pts
14	Bulgaria	1.4	-0.5 pts
14	Croatia	1.4	0 pts
14	Lithuania	1.4	-0.8 pts
14	Sweden	1.4	-0.1 pts
18	France	1.2	0 pts
19	Cyprus	1	-0.4 pts
19	Hungary Series break	1	+0.2 pts
21	Czechia	0.5	+0.2 pts
22	Austria	0.3	+0.2 pts
22	Germany	0.3	+0.1 pts
24	Luxembourg	0.2	-0.1 pts
24	Netherlands	0.2	0 pts
24	Spain	0.2	0 pts
27	Malta	0	-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Share of people aged 16 and over who say that in the previous 12 months they needed a medical examination or treatment and did not get it because it was too expensive, too far to travel or the waiting list was too long (EU statistics on income and living conditions, EU-SILC).

Self-reported, and measured over everyone aged 16 and over, not only those who needed care. Dental care is asked separately and is not included. The reference year is the survey year.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_silc_08/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08) (EU countries by unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list), 2019) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_silc_08/default/table

MLA 9

Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08), EU countries by unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list), 2019. Eurostat, European Commission, 17 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_silc_08/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unmet-need-for-medical-care/eu-countries?period=2019. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08). EU countries by unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list), 2019. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_silc_08/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unmet-need-for-medical-care/eu-countries?period=2019.

Harvard

Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08), EU countries by unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list), 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_silc_08/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/unmet-need-for-medical-care/eu-countries?period=2019 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_unmet_2019,
  author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
  title = {{Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth\_silc\_08): EU countries by unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list), 2019}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_silc_08/default/table},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unmet-need-for-medical-care/eu-countries?period=2019. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth\_silc\_08). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth\_silc\_08/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - Eurostat, European Commission
TI  - Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08): EU countries by unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list), 2019
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/17
PB  - Eurostat, European Commission
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_silc_08/default/table
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/unmet-need-for-medical-care/eu-countries?period=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/unmet-need-for-medical-care/eu-countries?period=2019.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/hlth_silc_08/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -

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Rank EU countries by unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list) using official data, and cite the source.

rank_places {"indicator":"unmet_medical_need_share","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=unmet_medical_need_share&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list)?

Estonia, with 15.5% in 2019, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest unmet need for medical care (cost, distance or waiting list)?

Malta, with 0% in 2019.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, too expensive, too far to travel or waiting list, aged 16 and over (hlth_silc_08). Retrieved 2026-10-12.