26. June 2025.
The latest STADA Health Report 2025 shows that although satisfaction with healthcare systems has stabilized, only half of Europeans believe that their healthcare systems are fair in terms of accessibility and services.
Compared to previous years, satisfaction with healthcare systems now averages 58% (+2% compared to 2024), but Europeans make it clear that satisfaction is not the same as fairness. This year's Report shows that half of respondents (51%) say that everyone in their country has equal access to medical care and services. This statement is supported by as many as 80% of Danes, 72% of Spaniards, and 68% of Swiss, while only 21% of Hungarians, 28% of Bulgarians, and 29% of Kazakhs share this view about their healthcare systems. Furthermore, only 15% of Europeans have complete confidence in their healthcare system's ability to provide adequate care in the event of a serious illness. The latest survey also shows that Europeans strive for a healthy lifestyle—but only half of them live it. Besides motivation issues, they are hindered by financial problems, mental health challenges, and limited access to healthcare.
‘At STADA, our purpose is to care for people's health as a trusted partner. With our latest Health Report, we gain valuable insights and understand future trends and innovations. By sharing this data with all stakeholders in the healthcare sector, we help to improve lives by enabling better decisions’, Peter Goldschmidt, STADA CEO, highlighted.
General practitioners and pharmacists as health enablers
Despite all these challenges, trust in healthcare professionals remains strong. General
practitioners (69%) and pharmacists (58%) continue to rank among the most trusted figures in healthcare system, far ahead of Google (20%), Artificial Intelligence (15%) and online healthcare influencers (11%). As many as 65% of citizens of Serbia express trust in healthcare professionals.
Even though trust in artificial intelligence is not yet widespread, openness to the technology is growing steadily. Today, 39% of people can already imagine turning to AI for medical advice instead of visiting a doctor. Additional 25% say they could see themselves consulting with AI in the future, once the technology has matured further. Across Europe, people primarily cite improved accessibility and availability as key reasons for their openness to AI — 49% say these are major advantages. In addition, 45% believe AI makes healthcare more convenient and time-efficient, as it could reduce the need to see a doctor for every minor illness. Accessibility of AI and the provision of quick responses are the main reasons for its use among 57% of Serbians, 56% of Hungarians, 55% of Czechs, and 54% of Slovaks.
However, personal interaction remains a decisive driver of trust in health matters, turning doctors and pharmacists into enablers of self-managed care. For instance, 40% of Europeans mention advice they receive from pharmacists as an essential reason for visiting pharmacies. They also regard pharmacies as a convenient one-stop shop for all their health needs (30%) and value the personal relationships they have with the people working there (28%).
Ambition vs. reality in healthy living
Across Europe, health awareness is clearly strong – as many as 96% of Europeans say that a healthy lifestyle is important to them, while 72% of them regularly engage in preventive habits by exercising, taking nutritional supplements, and healthy eating. Two-thirds (66%) now attend all or majority of preventive checkups, an uptake by 5 percentage points compared to 2023.
However, even if a healthy life is desired by almost everyone, only half of Europeans (51%) think they manage to live healthily overall. People in Spain rate their lifestyle the healthiest (68%) and, according to Eurostat data, they also have the highest life expectancy on the continent. One of the main inhibitors of healthy living is a lack of motivation, reported by 41% of respondents. Still, personal prioritization of health is not determined only by motivation. Financial and mental challenges also play a significant role.
Financial circumstances stand in the way of healthy living
Mental health and financial circumstances are still decisive reinforcing factors for individual health journeys that create additional barriers to better health for Europeans. Those who worry about money have a harder time leading a healthy lifestyle than their more financially comfortable counterparts. Likewise, the link between financial and mental distress is indisputable: those who are struggling financially have a much higher likelihood of experiencing burnout and are less likely to describe their mental health as “good” compared to those feeling financially secure.
As many as 64% of Europeans describe their mental health as “good” – especially in Romania (84%), Bulgaria (80%), Serbia and Switzerland (74%) as well as France (71%). Still, two-thirds (66%) have experienced burnout symptoms at least once. Women (71%) and people under 35 (75%) are particularly affected. People facing mental health challenges are three times less likely to say they live healthily than those with good mental health. These findings highlight the need for equal treatment of mental and physical health across Europe, which could be the first step in the right direction. Currently, only one in five (21%) of Europeans believe that mental and physical health are equally regarded in healthcare systems.
‘STADA Health Report offers trusted insights on relevant healthcare topics, stimulating debate among core healthcare stakeholders, including the media. By recognizing and anticipating trends that are shaping the future of healthcare, this unique research provides the insights needed to best meet patient needs,’ Goldschmidt summarized.
