Baltic Healthcare: Patients Cover a Substantial Share of Medical Costs
Estonia’s National Audit Office has warned that direct payments by patients remain above the European Union average, despite growing healthcare expenditure.
Annual healthcare spending in Estonia now exceeds €3.3 billion, while patients directly covered 21% of healthcare costs in 2024. Dental treatment, prescription medicines and nursing care are among the areas where patients face substantial expenses.
The problem is not limited to Estonia. Comparable figures for 2023 show that out-of-pocket payments accounted for an even larger share of total healthcare expenditure in Latvia and Lithuania.
| Country | Out-of-pocket share, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Latvia | 35.1% |
| Lithuania | 31.0% |
| Estonia | 22.1% |
The Estonian audit also raises concerns about access to treatment and the healthcare system’s capacity to meet growing demand. Higher expenditure has not necessarily resulted in shorter waiting times or greater access to specialist care.
Sources: Estonian National Audit Office | World Bank / WHO health expenditure data