In this article, we will look at the 15 European countries with the best healthcare for expats. You can skip our detailed analysis of the healthcare industry and go directly to the 5 European Countries with Best Healthcare for Expats.
Who are Expats?
According to the World Bank's 2023 World Development Report, about 184 million people, 2.3% of the world population, live outside their countries of origin, including 37 million refugees. ‘Expats’ and ‘immigrants’ are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings and connotations. The Cambridge Dictionary defines an expat as "someone who does not live in their own country." According to a BBC interview with Malte Zeeck, founder and co-CEO of InterNations, the motivation behind the decision of moving abroad is what distinguishes an expat from other people moving abroad like immigrants. Since expats have more of a choice they can decide to move to countries that can serve them best, whether it's in terms of employment opportunities, education, or healthcare among other factors.
Expats usually do not reside in the destination country long term; for them moving is a choice rather than a necessity. Their main motivation is to add ease, comfort, and value to their lives. When the skills of the person relocating match the skills required at the destination country, it facilitates both the labor supply and demand. According to Expat Insider Report 2023, the top expat-origin nationalities include American, British, Indian, German, and Italian.
People move to a new country for better career opportunities and an improved lifestyle. Good health is fundamental to living a peaceful and happy life. Thus, a good healthcare system becomes a primary consideration when deciding which country to move to, especially when retiring overseas.
Healthcare Industry at a Glance
The pandemic has affected almost all industries; however, the healthcare industry experienced unabated growth throughout the pandemic. McKinsey & Company has estimatedhealthcare industry EBITDA to have a 6% growth rate between 2021 and 2025. This growth rate would add $31 billion in profits to the healthcare industry by 2025. In the USA alone, according to estimates, healthcare profits will increase from $654 billion in 2021 to $790 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate of 4%. Healthcare is experiencing persistent growth across different parts of the industry. The possible challenges to these rates are growing inflation and macroeconomic headwinds.
The pandemic has impacted some of the existing trends in the healthcare industry. Care delivery was primarily confined to hospitals and traditional healthcare sub-sectors. However, non-acute sites and post-acute sites are gaining popularity post-pandemic. This shift has considerably impacted hospitals' share of overall provider revenue, which is estimated to decline from 47% in 2019 to 44% in 2025. The main contributing factors causing the shift towards non-acute settings include the advancement of value-based healthcare, related risk payments, and digitization.
Some of the largest healthcare companies in the world are UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO), and Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR). UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. On July 14, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) reported earnings for the fiscal second quarter of 2023. The company reported a revenue of $92.9 billion and beat Wall Street estimates by $1.94 billion. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) reported earnings per share of $6.14 and outperformed EPS estimates by $0.16. Here are some comments from the company's Q2 2023 earnings call:
"UnitedHealthcare's growth was strong and diversified as well. Today, we're serving nearly 1.6 million more people in our commercial and public sector program offerings than last year. This durable growth, driven by our colleagues' relentless focus on quality and execution, enabled us to achieve second-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $6.14 and to strengthen our full-year outlook to between $24.70 to $25 per share. We know there is great interest in understanding the recent care activity I just mentioned. So I'll give you an overview of how we're seeing care plans progress and how we're responding. I do want to underscore the most critical point first: making high-quality care more affordable and accessible is at the core of our mission. Having more people obtain the care they need is a positive trend for individuals and our health system and society. As we discussed several weeks ago, during the second quarter, we observed increased care patents, notably in outpatient surgeries for seniors and especially with certain orthopedic procedures, which may have been postponed. "
Tech and Healthcare
The healthcare industry is one of the most innovative industries in the world. It largely invests in R&D, pharmaceuticals, and technological advancements. When the pandemic hit, it further came to the forefront. The managing partner at Harris Financial Group, Jamie Cox, in a CNBC interview on July 21, noted the intersection of tech and healthcare. He commented:
"It's all about healthcare, Dom. I mean, you know, tech and healthcare, the intersection of those two sectors cannot be ignored. There's so much innovation, so much R&D that happened during the pandemic and we're just starting to see some of the pieces of it come to the marketplace. One particular area, medical devices - I mean you have people voluntarily wearing continuous glucose monitors. So companies like Insulet or Dexcom, these are companies that are absolutely knocking it out of the park. People are paying really close attention to healthcare and that is brought about by technology."
The recent accelerated digitization in healthcare has popularized virtual care, especially mental health. According to a report by Deloitte, 89% of mental health consultations are being conducted online, and global spending on mental health applications increased 32% from 2019 to 2020 and is estimated to grow by 20% annually.
The use of Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) is also getting popularized. This system enables care coordination and improves diagnoses. Through proper communication, duplicate testing can also be avoided. The information using HIEs is effectively distributed across geographical regions and care settings like hospitals. Increased care and service delivery automation would help the healthcare industry's overall growth.
The global healthcare sector is expected to experience a 12.1 million skilled healthcare professionals shortage by 2035—the interplay between tech and healthcare is even more significant. Advancements in tech enable the healthcare industry to meet this demand. AI4HealthCro, an innovative not-for-profit public-private consortium of AI experts for healthcare, integrates AI into healthcare technologies. This venture would free up 1,944 man-hours annually, save approximately 403,000 lives and reduce healthcare costs by EUR 212.4 billion.
Moving to a new country can be a daunting experience because of the anxieties accompanied by uncertainties. However, you can make the right decision with proper planning and research. We have ranked European countries with the best healthcare for expats to help you decide.
15 European Countries with Best Healthcare for Expats
Our methodology
To determine the European Countries with Best Healthcare for Expats, we first determined the best European countries for expats. We extracted this data primarily from InterNations' 2023 Expat Insider Report. This report ranks countries based on 56 aspects of expat life, including career prospects, cost of living, and social life. The report includes surveys from 12,000 expats with diverse nationalities currently living in 172 countries. We have then ranked these countries based on their position in the Legatum Prosperity Index 2023's health pillar, which ranked 167 countries. The health pillar measures the extent to which people are healthy in a country and have access to the services required to maintain good health.
15 European Countries with Best Healthcare for Expats
15. Poland
LPI Health Rank:48
Poland is an attractive destination for expats as it has a rich history and work opportunities in the IT, HR, and Finance sectors. It is one of the European countries with the best healthcare for expats. The healthcare system in Poland is publicly funded and administered by the National Health Fund (NFZ). As an expat in Poland, you need a personal identification number (PESEL) to apply for public health insurance. Once you get this insurance, your health services will be the same as a Polish citizen.
14. Hungary
LPI Health Rank: 46
Healthcare in Hungary is funded through the Health Insurance Fund (HIF), which allows citizens to access health services at a nominal cost. Expats are also mandated to pay for the HIF as well. Thus, the HIF covers expats in the country like its citizens.
13. Greece
LPI Health Rank: 41
Greece's national health system (ESY) provides healthcare free of cost to all its citizens. It is one of the European countries with the best healthcare for expats. For expats, primary healthcare is free. If you are an expat living in Greece, paying for public health insurance, and having a social security number, most primary care would also be free.
12. Portugal
LPI Health Rank: 40
The healthcare system of Portugal is among the best in the world. Public and private institutions' elaborate networks enable citizens to get the best help. As an expat, you have access to the public healthcare institution. However, the trend of expats mainly turning towards private options has been noted. This inclination towards private institutions is primarily because of the ease they provide as you can bypass the waiting lists that are usually a marker of public health institutions.
The existence of both government and private institutions helps provide the best possible healthcare services. Some of the best-in-class names in the healthcare industry include UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO), and Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR).
11. Estonia
LPI Health Rank: 37
The healthcare system is very advanced in Estonia. The country is one of the leading countries using HIE. Digital record-keeping allows easy coordination among various institutions. A residence permit and Estonian ID will give you access to all healthcare services. Expats from EU countries with European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) are provided with health services at a lower cost. These facilities make Estonia one of the European countries with the best healthcare for expats.
10. Czechia
LPI Health Rank: 28
Czechia has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. If an expat stays there for more than 90 days, they must buy health insurance.
Some of the biggest healthcare companies in the world by market cap include UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO), and Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR).
9. Spain
LPI Health Rank: 26
Spain provides its citizens with free services under the Spanish National Health System (SNS). The expats living in the country are also eligible for these benefits under certain conditions, like if they are students under the age of 26 or have access to EHIC. It is placed ninth among the European countries with the best healthcare for expats.
8. Ireland
LPI Health Rank: 23
Ireland is placed eighth among the European countries with the best healthcare for expats. The expats in the country are eligible to access public health services. These public health services are either entirely or partially free.
7. France
LPI Health Rank: 20
The healthcare system in France is easily accessible and simple. The government healthcare system in France provides people with partial or complete reimbursements. It is among the list of European countries with the best healthcare for expats. As an expat, you can apply for public healthcare coverage after living in the country for more than 3 months.
6. Belgium
LPI Health Rank: 18
Belgium has some of the best healthcare institutions in Europe. Registering for social services is mandated if a person lives or works in the country. Registration also enables expats to access most of the healthcare services available in the country.
