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Download PDF →European healthcare ends 2026 well funded and short of capacity. We read this year's figures from Eurostat, the OECD, the European Commission and national health agencies, and set Sweden, Germany and Portugal beside the EU as a whole. Three findings stand out.
- Spending is high, and results have held up. The EU spent EUR 1.72 trillion on health in 2023, 9.94% of its economic output, and life expectancy is above its 2019 level.
- Budgets for 2027 are falling behind costs. France plans 2.0% growth in health insurance spending against a cost trend of 3.4%, Germany's health insurance must save almost EUR 19 billion, and the EU was short of an estimated 1.2 million doctors, nurses and midwives in 2022.
- Patients are waiting longer. In 2025, 2.4% of people in the EU went without medical care they needed, up from 1.7% in 2019. Only 28% used the online health records available to them.
What's in the full report
- The figures behind each finding, in charts, with Sweden, Germany and Portugal set beside the EU on eight measures, from doctors per head to the days it takes for a new medicine to become available.
- How long people wait in England, Sweden, Portugal and Germany.
- Five moves we would make in 2027, for providers, insurers and employers, each with a first step to take.
- Eight dates to plan around, from Germany's contribution rate for 2027 to the first duties under the European Health Data Space in 2029.
The report is six pages. Every figure was read at its original source, and research closed on 12 October 2026.
Download the full report from this page. It is free.
CW1 Group is a European healthcare network with ehr railways in Sweden, Germany and Portugal. We connect providers, insurers and patients for faster access and fairer care.