The findings are outlined in the “Health Panorama 2025” report, published today by the organization comprising 38 member countries, offering data on population health and sector performance.
The document highlights that Portugal outperforms the OECD average in five out of the ten main indicators measuring healthcare access and quality.
In Portugal, the entire population has access to basic services, but only 58% were satisfied with the availability of quality healthcare, the report notes, adding that 2.4% of the population reported unmet health needs, lower than the OECD average of 3.4%.
Regarding the quality of care, the report states that 99% of one-year-old children in Portugal were vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, a rate above the OECD average, and that 56% of Portuguese women underwent breast cancer screening, similar to the 55% average.
The country recorded 236 preventable hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants, less than the 473 average across various countries, while the 30-day mortality rate after an acute myocardial infarction was 7.1% (OECD average of 6.5%) and 9.3% after a stroke (7.7%).
As for healthcare resources, the report indicates that Portugal spends $5,212 (about 4,500 euros) per capita on healthcare, less than the OECD average of $5,967 (5,151 euros), amounting to 10.2% of GDP.
In 2024, OECD countries spent 9.3% of their GDP on health, a figure below the peak reached during COVID-19 but above pre-pandemic levels.
Projections suggest a 1.5 percentage point increase in public spending as a percentage of GDP by 2045, driven by technological changes, expectations regarding healthcare achievements, and population aging, the report states.
According to the newly released data, there are 5.8 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants in Portugal, above the average of 3.9, and 7.6 nurses, below the average of 9.2 among the countries analyzed. The OECD warns that Portugal’s figures on doctors may be overstated, as they include all licensed individuals, not just those practicing.
The organization notes that the health workforce is growing, with about one in every nine jobs in the health or social care sector, on average, in OECD countries.
In Portugal, life expectancy is 82.5 years, 1.4 years above the OECD average. Globally, life expectancy has recovered and is on an upward trajectory, standing at 81.1 years in OECD countries in 2023.
Avoidable mortality was 117 per 100,000 inhabitants in Portugal, below the average of 145, with treatable mortality at 63 per 100,000 inhabitants, also lower than the average of 77.
The suicide rate was eight per 100,000 inhabitants in Portugal, compared to the OECD average of 11 deaths, and 12.1% of people rated their health as poor or very poor.
The prevalence of daily smoking in Portugal – 14.2% – is lower than the OECD average of 14.8%, but alcohol consumption is higher, with 11.9 liters per capita in Portugal against 8.5.
More than half of Portuguese adults – 56% – did not engage in sufficient physical activity, a percentage higher than the OECD average of 30%, and the self-reported obesity prevalence was 16% in Portugal, lower than the OECD average of 19%.
