Publication of the "Health at a Glance 2025" report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The report Health at a Glance 2025 provides updated indicators on the health of populations and on the performance of health systems across the 38 OECD member countries. The first chapter offers a comparative overview of countries' performance, while the second chapter focuses on an important current issue: diseases that affect men and women differently.

The report highlights both Luxembourg's strong results and the areas where further improvements are needed. It also emphasises the importance of reliable data to assess how the health system is performing and to develop health policies that meet the needs of the population.

The Health Directorate, the General Inspectorate of Social Security and the National Health Observatory jointly contributed to the preparation of the report by providing the data required to calculate the indicators, as well as country-specific comments on Luxembourg's situation.

This comparative report shows that Luxembourg performs well compared with the OECD average for most indicators:

• Life expectancy: 83.4 years in 2023, an increase of 0.7 years since 2019. Luxembourg ranks 7th, together with Sweden. The gender gap (3.3 years) is among the smallest in the OECD.
• Mortality: 652 deaths per 100 000 people in 2023 (OECD average: 861). Gender gaps in mortality from cardiovascular diseases and cancer are among the narrowest. Levels of avoidable mortality – through prevention (84 deaths per 100 000) and through effective treatment (39 per 100 000) – are also among the lowest in the OECD.
• Risk factors: Among adults, results are close to the OECD average. Among adolescents, some indicators are less favourable, and daily consumption of sugary drinks is particularly high (24% in 2022). These findings highlight the need to strengthen prevention efforts.
• Health care coverage: In 2023, out-of-pocket payments represented 1.6% of total household spending (OECD average: 3.2%). Nationally, households contribute 10% of total health care expenditure (OECD average: 19%) Public satisfaction with the availability of quality health care reaches 86%, the second-highest position (together with Belgium and Denmark), just behind Switzerland.
• Hospital infrastructure: 3.9 hospital beds per 1 000 population (OECD average: 4.2), and an average length of stay of 7 days in acute care hospitals (OECD average: 6.5 days).
• Health workforce: 4 practising physicians per 1 000 population in 2023, of whom 30% are general practitioners (OECD average: 3.9 practising physicians per 1 000, including 23% GPs).
• Health expenditure: USD 8,162 PPP per capita in 2024 (OECD average: USD 5,972 PPP per capita), of which 78% is covered by the compulsory health and maternity insurance scheme, placing Luxembourg third among OECD countries in terms of the public share of health care spending.

The full report is available at the following link: http://santesecu.public.lu/fr/publications/h/health-glance-europe-2025.html

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[1] USD PPP: US dollars at purchasing power parity (a conversion rate that equalises purchasing power across countries by eliminating differences in price levels).

Press release by the Ministry of Health and Social Security