Albanians may be dissatisfied with the health system and pay more out of pocket than everyone else, but they are the second people in Europe, after the Swiss, who perceive that they feel good about their health.
According to data published by Eurostat, nearly 83% (80.9) of Albanian citizens over 16 years of age declare that they self-perceive that they are in good or very good health, from 69%, which is the European average, Monitor reports.
 |
| Chart of self-perception about the health of the populations of European countries |
The figure refers to the year 2020. Men have this perception higher, with 84.7% of them affirming that they feel good or very good in health, compared to women with 80.9%.
Only the Swiss, with 83.3%, perceive that they feel better than the Albanians themselves. Even for Switzerland, the figure is from 2020.
In the region, Serbs feel worse, with only 63.6% of the population who perceive themselves as having good or very good health, Montenegro with 70.3%, and North Macedonia (with 76.6%). Data for Kosovo are missing.
In fact, the country still has a relatively young population. Albania has the fourth youngest population in Europe, with about 38 years, after Kosovo (30.5 years - year 2020), Turkey (32.8) and Iceland (36.7).
In the region, the population with the oldest age is in Serbia (44 years old), while other countries such as Montenegro and North Macedonia are approaching the 40-year-old limit.
Eurostat data also show that a good perception of health is related to this feeling among younger people. 96.5% of the age group from 16-44 feel good about their health in Albania, compared to 88% which is the average of the European Union.