In the EU, public and private expenditure on preventive care accounted for 6.0% of total health expenditure in 2021.
In 2019 and in 2020, it accounted for 2.9% and 3.5%, respectively. This growth reflects the impact of preventive care measures activated to face the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular for the category ‘Immunisation programmes’ which includes vaccination campaigns that started in 2021. Generally, preventive care aims to avoid or reduce the number or severity of injuries and diseases, consequences, and complications.
The highest shares of preventive care expenditure were recorded in Austria (10.3% of total health expenditure), Denmark (8.9%) and the Netherlands (8.7%). In contrast, the lowest share was recorded in Malta (1.2%), followed by Slovakia (1.6%) and Poland (2.1%).