The digital transformation of healthcare across Europe has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic, but a new European Commission report reveals stark differences in how citizens can access their medical data online. The ‘Digital Decade 2025: eHealth Indicator Study-Final Report’ shows that while the EU average for access to electronic health records (EHR) reached 83 percent in 2024, national scores range from 25 percent in Ireland to a perfect 100 percent in both Belgium and Estonia.
Top Performers and the Irish Anomaly
Denmark (98%), Lithuania (95%), Malta (94%), Poland (92%), and Norway (91%) also score above 90 percent. In these countries, a high proportion of the population can view several categories of health data from most providers. Portugal, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary, Latvia, Finland, France, and Italy all sit above the EU average. At the lower end, Slovakia (72%), Greece (74%), Romania (75%), and Cyprus (75%) struggle, but Ireland’s 25 percent is an outlier.
Ireland is the only EU member state that does not yet offer an online portal for citizens to access their health data. However, change is on the horizon. On 5 February 2026, the Irish health minister announced government approval to begin procurement for a National Electronic Health Record, describing it as a major step toward modernising the country’s health system.
Digital Health Literacy: A Persistent Gap
Access alone is not enough. The OECD’s Health at a Glance 2025 report highlights that digital health literacy — the ability to find, understand, and use health information online — remains low across many European countries, particularly among older adults and those with lower educational attainment. Among 17 OECD countries, mostly in Europe, only 18 percent of primary care users aged 45 and over with lower education reported adequate digital health literacy, compared to 26 percent among the higher educated.
Czechia leads the pack: 53 percent of highly educated citizens demonstrate strong digital health literacy, followed by Wales (46%), France (43%), and the Netherlands (31%). Even among the lower educated, Czechia scores 41 percent. In contrast, Italy records just 9 percent among the higher educated and 5 percent among the lower educated. Romania and Belgium also show very low rates.
“Building trust is essential to encourage the active use of digital health technologies,” the OECD report states.
Teleconsultations and the Broader Context
The pandemic pushed many countries to launch or expand remote consultations, but the share of teleconsultations in doctor visits still varies widely across Europe. David Novillo Ortiz, head of data, AI and digital health at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, told Euronews Health: “Countries with well-developed electronic health records and platforms that allow smooth data exchange can expand teleconsultation services much more easily.”
The EU has set a target that by 2030, 100 percent of citizens should have access to their electronic health records. While progress is being made — the composite eHealth score rose from 72 percent in 2022 to 83 percent in 2024 — the disparities between member states and the persistent literacy gap show that much work remains. For a continent aiming to build a truly integrated digital health ecosystem, bridging these divides is not just a technical challenge but a social one.
