Methodology
Most of the data on health status and health determinants come from the following 2 surveys:
- EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC), which provides annual data on:
- self-perceived health
- chronic morbidity, meaning long-standing illness or health problems
- disability, meaning long-standing limitations in usual activities due to a health problem.
For more detailed information, please consult our article Health variables in EU-SILC.
- European health interview survey (EHIS), which provides every 5 years a large variety of data on:
- health status
- health determinants
- health care activities
The latest available data from EHIS are from the 2019 round covering all EU members, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, and Turkiye.
For more detailed information, please consult our article European health interview survey - methodology.
For the calculation of healthy life years (HLY) and other indicators on health expectancies, the following 2 data sources are used:
- mortality data from Eurostat's demographic data collection
- self-perceived health data from the EU-SILC (from 2004 onwards) and the European Community household panel (ECHP) (for the period 1995-2003).
For scientific purposes, microdata for EU-SILC, EHIS and ECHP are available.
Further reading
Data on health care statistics come from administrative data and population surveys.
Data from administrative sources provide a complete and more objective picture and usually provide a regional breakdown, using the nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) level 2.
Data from surveys, which are of a more subjective nature, complement the administrative data. This allows the linking of the data on the use of healthcare services with characteristics of health status, health determinants, and socio-economic characteristics.
This enables the measurement of socio-economic disparities in the use of and access to health care services.
The following 4 main data collections are used:
- Joint OECD-Eurostat-WHO health accounts (SHA) data collection: This provides annual data on health care expenditure that are compiled according to the SHA methodology.
- Joint OECD-Eurostat-WHO-Europe data collection on non-monetary health care statistics: This provides annual data on health care resources and most of the data on health care activities. It includes hospital discharges and length of stay, medical procedures, selected preventive services, and consultations.
- EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC): This provides annual data on unmet needs for medical and dental care. For more detailed information, please consult our article Health variables in EU-SILC.
- European health interview survey (EHIS): Every 5 years, this provides data for some selected health care activities. The latest data are from the 2019 round covering all EU members, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, and Türkiye. For more detailed information, please consult our article European health interview survey.
For scientific purposes, microdata for EU-SILC and EHIS are available.
Further reading
This data collection provides annual national and regional data on selected causes of death. These are based on the international statistical classification of diseases and related health problems (ICD).
From 2013 onwards, the statistics are disseminated according to different groups of causes based on the European short list which was revised in 2012.
Also from 2013, a new EU standard population for the calculation of standardised rates is used. The rates available from the data collection were re-calculated for past years as well.
Further reading
Accidents at work statistics
This data collection provides annual data on the number of accidents which occur at the workplace or during an occupational activity.
The source is the European statistics on accidents at work (ESAW) data collection, following a harmonised methodology. Data mainly come from administrative sources, such as declarations to public or private insurance, social security schemes or another competent authority.
Further reading
Experimental statistics on occupational diseases
This data collection is experimental and aims to fill-in existing data gaps in this area.
It provides information on recognised occupational diseases at national level for the 24 participating EU countries (except Germany, Greece, and Portugal) and Switzerland.
The source is the European occupational diseases statistics (EODS) data collection. Data mainly come from administrative sources, such as the national authorities responsible for the recognition of such diseases. Methodological developments, including new indicators, are ongoing. The dissemination of data is limited to those on the short list of diseases.
Other sources
The EU LFS ad-hoc modules, dedicated to health and safety at work, provide another perspective on the topic.
The data of this survey are self-reported and thus, of a more subjective nature. They complement the administrative collections with information on work-related health problems and exposure to risk factors. The ad-hoc modules of the EU LFS dedicated to health and safety at work were conducted in 1999, 2007, 2013, and 2020.
Further reading
Please consult also our methodological publications.