Why the Netherlands tops healthcare rankings in Europe
Praised for its quality, accessibility and innovation, the Netherlands healthcare system ranks among the best in Europe.
Its high healthcare standards allow expats to access medical care with ease and confidence when they need to, ensuring their health needs are well supported when living here.
Keep reading to gain insight into the factors that contribute to the Dutch healthcare system’s continued excellence.
Accessibility to medical treatment
The Netherlands came 1st for accessibility in The Commonwealth Fund’s latest Mirror Mirror Report, which assessed the performance of 10 healthcare systems worldwide.1 Reasons behind this ranking include the availability of primary care out of hours and efforts by the Dutch government to ensure out-of-pocket payments for patients were minimal.
To facilitate access to healthcare, everyone living or working in the Netherlands is required by law to have a basic private health insurance plan. This provides individuals with cover for a range of services including visits to a doctor, hospital treatment, emergency medical care and prescription drugs, with the average premium costing approximately €100.2 In addition, an excess of no more than £385 per year must be applied to Dutch health insurance plans.
The ease of seeking medical treatment here is further evidenced by the fact that only 0.2% of people, the lowest percentage across the EU, couldn’t access the medical treatment they needed in 2022 as a result of financial barriers such as their location or waiting times.3
Additional health insurance is an option to receive cover for services not included with a basic plan. Consider international health insurance to get prompt access to a wide variety of medical treatment while living in the Netherlands, as well as the flexibility to choose your doctor, clinic or hospital.
High standards of medical care
The Netherlands is renowned for the excellence of its healthcare system, ranking 10th for healthcare quality in FREOPP’s World Index of Healthcare Innovation.4
These high standards are reflected in the positive feedback given by patients. According to the OECD’s latest patient-reported indicator survey (PaRIS), which analysed user satisfaction with national healthcare systems, nearly 90% of individuals with chronic conditions reported experiencing good quality medical care in the Netherlands.5
The report also revealed that 9 in 10 individuals with chronic conditions had received highly personalised medical treatment, emphasising the system’s strong focus on tailored treatment and standards of service delivery.
Commitment to healthcare innovation
Another key reason why this nation is consistently topping global healthcare rankings is because it’s leading the way in medical advancements.
In FREOPP’s 2024 World Index of Healthcare Innovation, the Netherlands were ranked 5th in the science & technology axis. Using factors like scientific discoveries, health digitisation and medical advances, the score demonstrates the success of Dutch efforts to continuously improve its healthcare offering.
This European country is home to top medical research institutions like the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) and the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG). Its Brabant region in the south has even gained the nickname “Brainport” for its reputation as a centre of knowledge and research in areas like healthcare, as well as in the development of cutting edge technologies.
Support from the Dutch government is helping to drive healthcare innovation in the Netherlands. This includes plans for a national healthcare information network by 2035 that will ensure smoother data sharing between medical facilities and give patients greater control over their healthcare data.
Focus on disease prevention
The Dutch government focuses on disease prevention and encouraging healthy lifestyle choices to protect the public’s health and wellbeing. Examples of actions introduced in support of this incorporate:
The Good Mental Health for All action plan: launched in 2022, this is a coordinated effort across multiple sectors to improve access to healthcare services and raise awareness about the prevalence of mental health conditions.
National Prevention Agreement: established in 2018, this agreement is aimed at tackling key health issues – like obesity, smoking and alcohol – with measures such as promoting healthy eating in public settings and educating the public on how to make healthier lifestyle choices.
In 2021, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies reported that healthcare spending on disease prevention more than doubled to reach 8.7%.
The impact of these measures is evident in changes to lifestyle choices in recent years – for example, smoking rates in the Netherlands fell from 25.7% in 2014 to 20.6% in 2021, marking the fourth-largest decrease globally.6
Do you want to find out more about what living in Netherlands is like for expats? Check out our blog for a useful overview to help you prepare for your move.
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