Unmet healthcare needs among children in the European Union have decreased in recent years, according to data published by Eurostat on January 19th, with Latvia showing significant improvement. The data reveals varying levels of access to medical and dental care across EU member states.
EU-Wide Trends in Child Healthcare
In 2024, 3.2% of children aged 16 or less in the EU reported having unmet needs for medical care, down from 3.6% in 2021. For dental care, 4.0% experienced unmet needs, compared to 4.4% in 2021.
National Disparities in Medical Care Access
Finland had the highest share of children with unmet medical care needs at 9.4%, followed by France (5.7%) and Ireland (5.0%). Croatia and Malta both reported the lowest shares, at 0.1%, while Cyprus reported 0.6%.
Latvia’s Improvement in Healthcare Provision
Latvia demonstrated a notable improvement in addressing unmet medical needs. In 2021, 6.2% of children in Latvia had unmet medical care needs – the second highest figure in the EU after Poland’s 7.3%. By 2024, this figure had fallen to 3.0%. In 2017, Latvia recorded a figure of 2.4% for unmet medical care needs.
Dental Care Access Across the EU
Regarding unmet needs for dental care, Spain reported the highest share at 7.5%, followed by Finland (6.8%) and France (6.2%). Croatia registered the lowest level at 0.2%, ahead of Malta (0.5%) and Luxembourg (1.0%).
Latvia also saw a significant reduction in unmet dental care needs. In 2021, 8.6% of minors had unmet dental care needs – the highest figure in the EU. By 2024, this metric had halved to 4.1%.
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