Access to electronic health records continues to increase in Europe
In 2024, Member States have made further progress toward achieving the eHealth target of “100% of EU citizens having access to their electronic health records by 2030.” The composite eHealth score for the EU-27 has reached an average of 83%, an increase of 4 percentage points compared to 2023.
Overall, 16 Member States, Iceland and Norway increased their maturity score compared to 2023, as more data types are available and more healthcare providers are connected and sharing data, among other advancements in access technology and coverage. The advancement is underpinned by substantial increases in composite maturity by Czechia (+26 points), Romania (+17 points), Ireland (+14 points), and Bulgaria (+10 points). In 2024, all Member States have an access service; 4 Member States have regional services (Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Sweden).
Some areas are advancing while others require further effort
Data about identification (99%), personal information (98%), ePrescription (89%) and eDispenstion (87%) are most available in a timely manner. However, despite several data types being available and timely, more effort is needed for this to be consistent for all data types investigated in this study. For instance, medical images (26%) and medical devices and implants (55%) continue to have limited availability.
In addition, more EU citizens gained access to their electronic health records in a secure way through eIDs. 21 Member States (78%) report using a (pre)notified electronic identification (eID) scheme compliant with the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Regulation, an increase of 4 countries compared to 2023. Furthermore, 23 Member States (85%) report that 80–100% of the national population is technically able to access their electronic health records through the provided service.
In terms of the supply of health data by healthcare providers, public healthcare providers (79%) continue to be better connected than private healthcare providers (59%). This requirement still scores below the EU-27 average in terms of maturity (67% vs 83%) even though more private healthcare providers are supplying relevant data compared to 2023. Public and private geriatric nursing homes, private rehabilitation centres, and private mental health facilities are the least connected.
Furthermore, 21 Member States (81%) facilitate access for legal guardians to their wards’ health data, both in terms of legal provisions and technical functionality. By contrast, only 15 Member States (56%) offer similar functionality with a legal basis for citizens to authorise other persons to access their health data and perform authorised actions on their behalf.
Overall, access opportunities show the lowest year-on-year improvement. In this regard, compliance with web accessibility guidelines (required by the Web Accessibility Directive) did not change in 2024. This means 7 Member States still need to align their access services with the guidelines. Nonetheless, support is becoming more readily available for citizens who experience difficulties when trying to make use of the online access service, such as citizens with low digital and health literacy, citizens with disabilities, or the elderly.
As countries reach higher maturity, additional effort will be required to fulfil the remaining requirements of the eHealth maturity framework to achieve complete population-wide access to electronic health records that includes all data types from all healthcare providers in a secure and accessible way. This target aligns with the European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation, which sets mandatory requirements for guaranteeing access to electronic health records for all citizens.
Background information
The 2025 eHealth indicator study gathers data through an online survey completed every year by national competent authorities in each participating country. This report is the third data collection using this methodology and presents the data collected for 2024. The responses reflect the state of play as of 31 December 2024.
The eHealth indicator is defined by 12-sub-indicators that capture the concept of 100% of EU citizens having access to their electronic health records by outlining what types of health data, from which suppliers, through what modes of access, and with what access requirements represent technical access by citizens to their electronic health records online.
Each sub-indicator contributes equally to the overall composite eHealth score. Survey responses are transformed into maturity scores according to a pre-defined scoring scheme. The response options are allocated scores between 0% and 100% to create a maturity scale for each sub-indicator.
The eHealth target is part of the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 and a key priority for Europe’s digital transportation. The eHealth indicator methodology will undergo a planned revision in 2026.
The report
Read more about the 2025 State of the Digital Decade package.