Credit: OECD

On Monday 5 December 2022, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), together with the European Commission, published the report “Health at a Glance: Europe 2022”.

This report, published every two years, contains the latest information on health and the health systems of several European countries and each time presents two thematic chapters on current topics. It makes it possible, through a set of indicators, to document the general health of citizens and to evaluate the performance of the health systems of European countries. To do this, the report is based mainly on the most recent official national statistics as well as on European surveys.

For the 2022 edition, the thematic chapters of the report focus on the impact of COVID-19 on:

  1. The care of patients with other pathologies;
  2. The physical and mental health of young people.

This report also highlights the strengths of Luxembourg and the progress that is still to be made in the field of health. It also illustrates how important it is for Luxembourg to collect and have access to quality data enabling it to assess the performance of its health system and thus to develop the most appropriate health policies possible.

The Health Directorate, the National Health Observatory and the General Social Security Inspectorate contributed to the drafting of the report for the parts concerning Luxembourg.

Some notable insights from this report include:

  • With a life expectancy of 82.6 years, Luxembourg was the only country, along with Norway, to have gained in life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, while over this period, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a reduction in life expectancy of 1.2 years on average in other European Union (EU) countries.
  • In 2019, Luxembourg was one of five countries with the lowest heart attack mortality (59 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants). For strokes, Luxembourg was the second country with the lowest mortality (41 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants), just behind Switzerland (40 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants).
  • In Luxembourg, mortality linked to air pollution recorded the greatest decrease (down 48%) from 2009 to 2019. This mortality is also considered to be low, at around 33 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.
  • Regarding health risk factors, Luxembourg is well positioned in terms of physical activity and overweight among adults. On the other hand, efforts are still to be made with regard to overweight among adolescents, as well as with regard to smoking, alcohol consumption and the daily consumption of fruit and vegetables. Indeed, 20% of 15-19 year-olds were overweight or obese in 2019 (compared to 15% in 2014) and 48% of adults did not consume fruits and vegetables daily.
  • The section devoted to access to health care illustrates in particular the high rates of recourse to medical imaging examinations.
  • In terms of the quality and effectiveness of the health system, Luxembourg was well positioned if the mortality rates avoidable by prevention and treatment are considered. However, to document in more detail the strengths of the Luxembourg health system, many additional indicators are required and are still missing in this report.
  • The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruptions in the functioning of health systems. In Luxembourg, 64% of people suffering from chronic diseases saw their care delayed or cancelled during the first six months of the pandemic. On the other hand, the flu vaccination rate increased slightly between 2019 and 2020 for people aged 65 and over.
  • Finally, in the majority of European countries, a significant increase in health expenditure has been observed following the pandemic. In Luxembourg, health expenditure increased by 5.7% from 2019 to 2020 (compared to an average annual increase of 0.9% from 2013 to 2019).

The full report is accessible online via: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/health-at-a-glance-europe-2022_507433b0-en.