An estimated 1.0 million people under 75 in the EU died in 2023 from diseases and conditions that could have been treated or prevented.
Of those deaths, 376,434 were from treatable conditions that could have been avoided through high-quality healthcare, while 655,321 were from preventable conditions that could have been avoided through effective public health interventions, the EU statistics agency said on Thursday.
Eurostat reported a standardised death rate — a measure that adjusts for differences in age structures between populations — of 237.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants from all avoidable conditions, including 86.8 from treatable and 150.9 from preventable causes.
Ischaemic heart disease was the most common cause of death among treatable conditions, with 72,845 deaths.
Colorectal cancer accounted for 56,993 deaths, followed by breast cancer in women with 39,989.
Big differences between EU countries
For preventable conditions, lung cancer was the most common cause of death, with 135,584 deaths, Eurostat said.
Ischaemic heart disease accounted for a further 72,845 deaths, while alcohol-specific disorders and poisonings caused 50,593 deaths.
The rate of avoidable deaths varied widely across the EU. Latvia recorded the highest rate at 498.5 avoidable deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Hungary at 472.7 and Romania at 463.7.
The lowest rates were recorded in Cyprus at 152.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, Luxembourg at 157.6 and Italy at 160.3.
