Health Status in the European Union Countries

The article deals with health – one of the key factors that influence life in today's society. The broader view that emphasizes the holistic approach to health is followed, using the Eurostat's indicator system on the health status for the 27 countries of the European Union. The main findings of the assessment show that the ranking of countries in 2022 differ for the sub-indicators. In the case of life expectancy, there is a difference between the worse values of former socialist countries and the better values of former non-socialist countries. Opposite findings were obtained in the case of depressive symptoms, with the exception of the best values of several southern European countries. Southern European countries are best positioned also in the aggregate ranking. In contrast, the opposite position is characteristic of the three Baltic countries. The biggest decline in their position between 2014 and 2022 can be observed – in addition to France and Croatia – for three Scandinavian countries.