EU’s Hidden Toll: Over a Million Lives Could Have Been Saved

New data reveals that in 2022 alone, more than 1.1 million deaths across the European Union (EU) could have been prevented through timely treatment or public-health measures.

The burden was far from evenly spread. Countries in Eastern and Baltic Europe — especially Latvia, Romania, Hungary, Lithuania and Bulgaria — reported the highest avoidable mortality rates, exceeding 470 deaths per 100,000 people. In contrast, countries in Western and Northern Europe, such as Sweden and Switzerland, recorded much lower rates, sometimes less than half those of Eastern Europe.

Health experts warn that factors like varying public-health investments, unequal access to care, and differing risk-factor levels (such as smoking, alcohol use, and chronic disease prevalence) are driving the disparities. The findings underline a grim reality: for many EU citizens, countries, or health systems, timely intervention and stronger preventive measures could mean the difference between life and death.

Read more: https://www.euronews.com/health/2025/12/02/more-than-1-million-deaths-avoidable-in-the-eu-which-country-has-highest-preventable-death 

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