The Country Health Profiles are an important step in the European Commission’s two-year State of Health in the EU cycle and are the result of joint work between the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. This series was co-ordinated by the Commission and produced with the financial assistance of the European Union.

The concise, policy relevant profiles are based on a transparent, consistent methodology, using both quantitative and qualitative data, yet flexibly adapted to the context of each EU Member State. The aim is to create a means for mutual learning and voluntary exchange that supports the efforts of Member States in their evidence-based policy making.

Each Country Health Profile provides a short synthesis of:

• health status
• the determinants of health, focusing on behavioural risk factors
• the organisation of the health system
• the effectiveness, accessibility and resilience of the health system

This is the first series of biennial country health profiles, published on 23 November 2017.

• Press release: Commission diagnoses the state of health in the EU