The EU average rate stood around 2.8%, Eurostat notes.

Chart by Eurostat

Among member states, the highest shares were recorded in Italy (4.4%) and Finland (4%).

In contrast, the lowest share of preventive care expenditure was recorded in Slovakia (0.8% of total health expenditure), followed by Greece, Cyprus and Malta (all 1.3%), followed by Romania (1.4%).

Relative to population size, preventive care expenditure was highest among the EU member states in Sweden (EUR 165 per inhabitant), Finland (EUR 152), Germany (EUR 148), and the Netherlands (EUR 146) in 2018, while it was lowest in Romania and Slovakia (both EUR 8 per inhabitant). In Hungary, it stood at EUR 28 per inhabitant. The EU average was EUR 82.