This first edition of Health at a Glance: Europe presents a set of key indicators on health and health systems across 31 countries – the 27 European Union member states, three European Free Trade Association countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), and Turkey. The selection of indicators is based on the European Community Health Indicators (ECHI) shortlist – a set of indicators used by the European Commission to guide the development of health information systems in Europe. In addition, the publication provides detailed information on health expenditure trends across countries, building on the OECD’s established expertise in this area.

European countries have achieved major gains in population health over recent decades. Life expectancy at birth in European Union (EU) countries has increased by six years since 1980, while premature mortality has reduced dramatically. Improvements in living and working conditions and in some health-related behaviours have contributed greatly to these longevity gains, but progress in medical care also deserves much credit. Health systems are of growing size and complexity in European countries, and spending on health care has never been higher, consuming an ever-increasing share of national income.

Health at a Glance: Europe 2010 presents key indicators of health and health systems in 31 European countries, including the 27 European Union member states, three EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), and Turkey. It builds on the format used in the OECD’s previous editions of Health at a Glance to provide comparable information on important public health issues in Europe. The indicators have been selected on the basis of the European Community Health Indicators (ECHI) shortlist (European Commission, 2010a; ECHIM, 2010). However, in some instances, this report deviates from the formal ECHI definitions because of issues related to data availability and comparability. Detailed information is also provided in this publication on health expenditure and financing trends, based on the OECD’s long-standing data collection in this area. All indicators are presented in the form of easy-to-read figures and explanatory text.