HEALTH: YOUNG EUROPEANS ARE DOING WELL, AND EVEN BETTER IN THE SOUTH

Eurostat reports that at the end of 2024, 90.1% of young people under 30 felt great. Income plays a significant role, but data also shows a correlation between well-being and sunshine and the sea: it's in Mediterranean countries where young people feel best.

Brussels – Nine out of ten young people in the EU are doing well. At least, that's what they claim, according to data collected and updated by Eurostat. These are self-assessments, simply answers to the classic question: 'How are you?' Among men and women aged 16 to 29, the general result indicates good health, with Italians ranking among the top, even better than many others. While at the end of 2024, 90.1% of young people reported feeling well or even very well, in Italy, the rate reached 95.3%. Only in Romania, Greece, Croatia, and Slovakia do young people under 30 report feeling better.

The European statistical institute focuses on perceived health, one of three indicators of health status (the others being long-term illnesses or health problems, and disability). This helps understand if people are healthy according to the definition offered by the World Health Organization (WHO), which states "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

Health and Economic Well-being: A Correlation

According to Eurostat, wealth is synonymous with psycho-physical well-being. Examining the relationship between an individual's perceived health status and their income situation, "a clear pattern can be observed in almost all EU countries: higher income is associated with a better perception of health." Thus, the more you earn, the better you feel.

Sun and Sea: The Well-being of the Mediterranean

Another correlation between a better perception of health and the living environment seems to be suggested by the data. While the statistical institute doesn't explicitly interpret this in terms of direct relationships with where one lives, a glance at the data shows that young Europeans who feel best are those living bathed in sun and sea: Greece, Croatia, Italy, Malta, and Cyprus. Conversely, at the bottom of the list are men and women under 30 from the Baltic republics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), the Netherlands, and Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Finland, Sweden). The cold and gray Northern Europe, in essence, seems to negatively influence the perception of one's well-being.