Cyprus ranks low in unmet medical needs for children, but dental care concerns arise

Cyprus stands out as one of the countries with the lowest rates of children under 16 living in households with unmet medical needs, according to recent data released by Eurostat, the statistical service of the EU. However, when it comes to unmet dental care needs, Cyprus slightly exceeds the EU average.

In 2021, the percentage of children below 16 years old in Cyprus households with unmet medical needs was 1.5% (compared to 3.6% in the EU), representing a 0.1% increase since the previous report in 2017 (1.4%). At the EU level, there was a 2% increase compared to 2017 (1.6%).

In Cyprus, the share of dependent children with unmet medical needs was higher at 3.5% for children living in households with a single adult, but slightly lower at 1.3% for households with two or more adults.

Similar patterns are observed at the EU level, with 5.3% of children in households with a single adult having unmet medical needs. The corresponding percentage is slightly lower for households with two or more adults, at 3.4%, compared to the overall share of dependent children.

Among EU member states, Poland (7.3%) and Latvia (6.4%) reported the highest percentages of children with unmet medical needs in households with children, followed by Hungary and Romania (both 4.7%), and Spain (4.6%). Conversely, Austria (0.3%) and Luxembourg (0.4%) reported the lowest percentages, followed by Croatia (0.9%), and Malta, Lithuania, and Cyprus (all at 1.5%).

Regarding dental care, the situation in Cyprus in 2021 was slightly worse compared to unmet medical needs, both at the national and EU levels.

Specifically, 4.7% of children in Cyprus households with dependent children (4.4% in the EU) did not receive the necessary dental care. This represents a 1.6% increase in Cyprus compared to 2017 (3.1%), and a 1.8% increase at the EU level (2.6%).

Looking at all EU countries, 11 had percentages of children with unmet dental care needs above the EU average, including Cyprus.

For households with a single adult, the percentage was higher, with 7.5% of children in Cyprus (7.1% in the EU) not receiving the required dental care. On the other hand, 4.5% of children in households with two or more adults in Cyprus (4.0% in the EU) had unmet needs for dental care.

In 2021, the highest percentages of children with unmet dental care needs in households with children were observed in Latvia (7.7%), followed by Spain (7.1%), Hungary (7.0%), Slovenia (6.8%), and Portugal (6.4%) among EU member states.

Conversely, Luxembourg (0.6%), Croatia (0.8%), Sweden (1.1%), Austria, and Italy (all at 1.2%) reported the lowest percentages.