World Health Organization Europe, September 2019
This report reveals that health inequities in many of the 53 countries in the WHO European Region remain either the same or have worsened despite governments’ attempts to address them. The report identifies five key risk factors that are holding many children, young people, women and men back from achieving good health and leading safe and decent lives. Key findings on current health status and trends across the Region show a significant health divide.
• While average life expectancy across the Region increased to 82.0 years for women and 76.2 years for men by 2016, there are still significant health inequities between social groups: a woman’s life expectancy is cut by up to 7 years and a man’s by up to 15 years if they are in the most disadvantaged groups.
• Almost twice as many women and men in the least affluent 20% of the population report illnesses that limit their freedom to carry out daily activities, compared to those in the most affluent 20%.
• In 45 of 48 countries providing data, women with the fewest years of education report higher rates of poor or fair health compared to women with the most years of education; the pattern is the same for men in 47 of the 48 countries.
• Where you live influences how long and how well you are able to live: trends show that in almost 75% of countries surveyed, the differences in life expectancy between the most and least advantaged regions have not changed in over a decade, and in some cases have worsened.
• In the most deprived areas, 4% more babies do not survive their first year compared to babies born in more affluent areas.
• Health gaps between socioeconomic groups widen as people age: 6% more girls and 5% more boys report poor health in the least affluent households compared to those in the most affluent households. This gap rises to 19% more women and 17% more men during working age, and peaks among those aged 65 and over with 22% more women and 21% more men reporting poor health in the least affluent households compared to the most affluent households.
• The accumulated poor health of those with fewer economic and social resources when entering later life predicts their higher risk of poverty and social exclusion, loss of independent living and more rapidly declining health.
Click here to view the full report.