Waiting times for medical treatment in Europe have become a pressing public health challenge, with patients in several countries facing delays that stretch into years. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Health at a Glance 2025 report provides a stark snapshot of the problem, revealing significant disparities across the continent.
In the United Kingdom, 11% of patients reported waiting more than a year for a specialist appointment. In Slovenia, the median wait for a hip replacement reached 667 days in 2024 — nearly two years. Poland followed at 343 days, Hungary at 209 days, and the UK at 174 days. These are median figures, meaning half of all patients waited even longer.
Primary Care Delays Across Europe
Even accessing a general practitioner (GP) or nurse can take a week or more in several European countries as of 2023. In Sweden, 23% of patients waited over a week for such an appointment. In France and Germany, the figure was one in five (20%), and in the UK it was 18%. When including those waiting six to seven days, the shares rise further: Sweden (30%), France (28%), the UK (27%), and Germany (26%).
Waiting times for specialist consultations also vary widely. While 11% of UK patients waited over a year, the share in France and Germany was just 2%. However, shorter waits are far from short: 43% of French patients waited between two months and a year for a specialist, followed by 32% in the UK, 29% in Sweden, and 22% in Germany.
Cataract Surgery: A Post-Pandemic Backlog
Cataract surgery waiting times have worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. In Norway, 81% of patients waited more than three months from specialist assessment to treatment in 2024, up from 65% in 2019. Finland was close behind at 71%. A majority of patients also waited more than three months in the UK (58%), Portugal (58%), and Spain (53%). Poland (13%), Hungary (17%), Sweden (22%), and Italy (27%) had considerably lower shares.
Among nine European countries tracked, waiting times for cataract surgery rose in 2024 compared to 2019 in seven, with only Poland and Hungary seeing a decline. In the UK, the share of patients waiting more than three months more than doubled, from 22% to 58%. These figures point to the continuing pressure on health systems following the pandemic.
“Postponing the expected benefits of treatment means that patients continue living with pain and disability for longer than they need to and may worsen health outcomes for patients after the intervention,” the OECD report stated.
Why Do Waiting Times Differ So Much?
According to the OECD, waiting lists generally arise from an imbalance between the demand for and supply of health services. Luigi Siciliani from the University of York, writing in the European Journal of Public Health, noted that waiting times differ extensively across countries due to different capacity constraints, funding decisions, health personnel shortages, and a mismatch with growing demand driven by an ageing population and technological innovation.
The crisis is not limited to a few nations. As the data shows, it affects countries across the continent, from the UK and Slovenia to Norway and France. The consequences for patients are real: prolonged pain, disability, and potentially worse health outcomes after intervention.
For context on other pressures facing European systems, see our coverage of European prison overcrowding, which highlights similar capacity challenges in justice systems. Meanwhile, broader health trends are also linked to lifestyle factors, as a recent study on irregular meal times and depression risk shows.
