site.bta1.9% of Children in Bulgaria, 3.2% in EU Had Unmet Needs for Medical Care in 2024

About 1.9% of children in Bulgaria aged 16 or less were reported to have unmet needs for medical care (examination and treatment) in 2024. This compares with 3.2% of children in the EU, the statistical office of the EU (Eurostat) reported on Monday.

The EU rate decreased from 3.6% in 2021.

For dental care, 4.0% of EU children had unmet needs in 2024, compared with 4.4% in 2021.

At national level, the highest shares of children with unmet needs for medical care were found in Finland (9.4%), followed by France (5.7%) and Ireland (5.0%). Meanwhile, the lowest shares were reported by Croatia and Malta (both 0.1%) and Cyprus (0.6%).

Regarding children with unmet needs for dental care, Spain had the highest share (7.5%), followed by Finland (6.8%) and France (6.2%). At the other end of the scale, Croatia registered the lowest level (0.2%), ahead of Malta (0.5%) and Luxembourg (1.0%).