47.9% of residents said last year their health status was good or very good, while 35.5% said it was only average.

13.3% of respondents said their health status was bad, and 3.3% – very bad. Compared to 2010, no significant changes can be observed in the self-assessment of health status, according to the Central Statistics Bureau.

Comparing gender differences, men gave better assessment for their health condition than women. The most optimistic self-assessment was recorded among young people aged 16-24. 86.5% of them perceive their health as good or very good. In its turn, the lowest estimations of the state of health were recorded among respondents aged 65 and over. 45.6% of them perceive their health as bad or very bad.

As compared to 2008, the share of persons who needed medical examination or treatment (except dentist), but could not afford it, has grown significantly. Data of the survey show that most often the unemployed (32.5%) and pensioners (27.9%) didn’t have  medical examination or treatment. In its turn, affirmative answer to the same question was received from a noticeably lower share of the employed (18.2%). Altogether 26.8% of the unemployed and 18.3% pensioners in 2011 at least once had to refuse the needed medical treatment of examination (except dentist) because they could not afford it.

22.7% of the surveyed respondents during the last 12 months needed dental examination or treatment, but they did not have it. 20% of the persons who during the last 12 months at least once needed dental examination or treatment, but did not have it, as the reason thereof mentioned the fact that they could not afford it.

In order to obtain information on population’s self-assessment of the state of health, within the framework of the survey Community Survey on Income and Life Conditions (EU-SILC) the CSB in 2011 surveyed 6.6 thousand households and 13.5 thousand persons. Such survey is carried out annually in all European Union Member States.

Ref: 102.110.110.907