More than three in 100 children aged 16 and under in the EU were reported to have unmet needs for medical care in 2024.
Some 3.2% of children had unmet needs for medical care — meaning they did not receive an examination or treatment they said they needed — down from 3.6% in 2021, Eurostat informed on Monday.
Unmet need for dental care was higher, at 4.0% in 2024 compared with 4.4% in 2021, it added.
Finland recorded the highest share of children with unmet medical care needs in 2024 at 9.4%, followed by France at 5.7% and Ireland at 5.0%, the figures show.
The lowest levels were reported in Croatia and Malta at 0.1% each, and Cyprus at 0.6%.
Dental care gaps highest in Spain
Spain had the highest share of children with unmet dental care needs in 2024 at 7.5%, followed by Finland at 6.8% and France at 6.2%.
The lowest rates were recorded in Croatia at 0.2%, Malta at 0.5% and Luxembourg at 1.0%.
