"Overall, compared with 20 years ago, there are now more residents in Estonia living with a long-term illness. The proportion was 41 percent in 2004 and 47 percent in 2023. But, on a positive note, there has also been a slight increase in the share of residents whose self-perceived health is very good or good – from 50 percent in 2004 to 56 percent in 2023," said Epp Remmelg, leading analyst at Statistics Estonia.

Remelg added that 2020 saw the best result of the last 20 years, when 59 percent of the Estonian population reported that their health was either good or very good.

Self-perceived health has improved significantly among middle-aged and elderly people

We know that health tends to deteriorate as people age. Here, there are some differences between men and women. For example, among females aged 25-34, the share of those in very good or good health is the same (85 percent) as for those in the 16-24 age group. However, among 25-34-year-old males, the share of those reporting themselves as being in very good or good health is just 80 percent.

There is a difference also in the 55-64 age group, with middle-aged women generally considering their health to be better than middle-aged men. However, when it comes to people aged 65 years and over, the share of women perceiving their health as bad or very bad is larger than the proportion of men who think so. This may be partly influenced by the fact that women have a longer average life expectancy.

According to Remmelg, there have been several positive changes in the two decades that this type of data has been collected via the Estonian Social Survey. "Among young people, the share of those in very good or good health has grown by a few percentage points, while this share among the middle-aged and elderly population has increased by about 10 percentage points. It is also good to see that, among residents aged over 65, there has been a considerable increase in the share of those whose everyday activities are not limited by health problems," said Remmelg.

People in Lääne and Harju counties have the best self-perceived health, while long-term illnesses are most common in Ida-Viru County

Based on the 2023 data, the share of people satisfied with their health is highest in Lääne (62.5 percent) and Harju (62.4 percent) counties as well as in Tallinn (62.1 percent). The share of the population that consider their health to be either good or very good was lowest in Ida-Viru County (37.9 percent). Dissatisfaction with one's health was the greatest among the population of Põlva County, where 24 percent of residents considered their health bad or very bad.

A long-term illness refers to an illness or health problem that has lasted or is expected to last for at least six months. Both mental and physical health may be affected. The share of the population with a long-term illness is highest in Ida-Viru County (62.5 percent), where 22.7 percent of residents consider their health to be either bad or very bad. The share of population aged 16 or over who have a long-term illness is 58.6 percent in Valga County, 55.1 percent in Võru County, 53.3 percent in Järva County and 53.2 percent in Põlva County. The lowest shares were in Harju County (39.9 percent) and in Tallinn (40.1 percent).

Remmelg said that self-perceived health for people in the different counties depends on the age structure of the specific county, but people's assessments of their health are also influenced by other factors, such as living, working and environmental conditions.

"The older the population, the higher the prevalence of long-term illnesses among residents. In Ida-Viru County, there are other problems as well. Several large industries have damaged the eco-system, thereby directly impacting self-perceived health in the affected region," she explained.

How does Estonia compare with other countries in Europe?

The Estonian Social Survey is based on a common methodology used across Europe, which allows us to see how self-perceived health in Estonia compares with people's health assessments in other European countries.

"At the moment, we can compare data for 2022, as the data for 2023 have not yet been published by all countries. In Estonia, 58 percent of people perceive their health to be good or very good, while in Lithuania this share is 48 percent and the European average is 68 percent. Ireland and Switzerland have the highest share of people (80 percent) who consider their health to be very good or good," Remmelg said.

More information is available here and here.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!