Why more Europeans feel left behind by healthcare systems

How is your healthcare system working for you? If you feel anything like most Europeans, there’s a couple of things you’d probably like to change. Across the continent, healthcare infrastructure is being put to the test: long waiting times, staff shortages and an ageing population are stretching resources to their limits. Find out where your fellow countrymen and women stand on questions about access, availability and satisfaction in healthcare – and where they see the biggest need for change. Ready to explore? Let’s go!

Thumbs up or down – where do you stand on healthcare satisfaction?

European healthcare is struggling – after a brief uptick in 2025, satisfaction has fallen back from 58 to 56 percent in 2026: barely more than half of Europeans feel their system is working for them. Experiences and opinions vary fundamentally by country. In Belgium, 86 percent are satisfied with their healthcare system, followed by Uzbekistan at 82 percent and Switzerland at 77 percent. At the other end of the spectrum, Hungary records just 27 percent satisfaction – the lowest in Europe. Serbia, Slovakia and Poland also struggle, with satisfaction rates below 40 percent. 

Mental health and finances: the hidden dividers

Aside from which country your health system is meant to serve, two additional hidden forces likely shape how you experience healthcare: your mental health and financial security. Among Europeans who rate their mental health as poor, only 40 percent are happy with how their healthcare system performs, compared to 61 percent of those with good mental health. And while 61 percent who feel financially comfortable are content with their care, that drops to 46 percent for those under economic strain – a 15-point gap.

These two factors feed on each other, making it harder for people to navigate the system or benefit from it. The result? A vicious cycle that limits how people look after themselves and the choices they can – to some extent, quite literally – afford to make:

Mapping European healthcare challenges

The challenges our healthcare systems face are manifold. Discover the most common stressors mentioned in your country, find out who is struggling with similar challenges and how differently they are perceived across the continent:

Health Minister for a day: what Europeans would change

Have you ever pondered what you would change if you could call the shots on healthcare policies in your country? Most Europeans have very specific ideas about their preferred action items. See below how their main pain points rank:

Multi-select question

Long waits, limited appointments, patchy prevention offers – that’s the reality millions of Europeans face today. But from these pressures, opportunities arise: more and more people are stepping up and becoming their own health advocates, embracing new tools and opportunities to navigate healthcare on their own terms. The real question isn’t whether systems will evolve – it’s how Europeans will fare on their journey and who they’ll trust to accompany them along the way.