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RESEARCH PAPER
Household health expenditure in Poland and 10 Central and Eastern European countries, and analysis of absenteeism and costs of lost productivity in Poland due to COVID-19
1
Department of Health Economics and Health Management, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland
Submission date: 2025-07-03
Final revision date: 2025-11-24
Acceptance date: 2025-11-25
Online publication date: 2026-03-19
Publication date: 2026-03-19
Corresponding author
Anna Rogalska
Department of Health Economics and Health Management, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
Department of Health Economics and Health Management, Faculty of Public Health in Bytom, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
Pol. Ann. Med. 2026;33:71-77
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Introduction: The analysis of household expenditure on health in individual countries is of significant importance for public health.
Aim:
The main goal of the study was to analyze household health expenditure in Poland against the background of 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The second goal was to analyze absenteeism and calculate the costs of lost productivity due to COVID-19.
Material and methods:
In this study covering 11 Central and Eastern European countries, we conducted an analysis of household health expenditure in 2020–2022 and analyzed absenteeism and indirect costs of COVID-19 in Poland in 2019–2023. The Human Capital Method was used to estimate economic losses in employee productivity resulting from COVID-19 in Poland.
Results and discussion:
Median household expenditure on health (as % of total expenditure) for the analyzed countries (n = 11) in 2020 amounted to 5% (min. 2.4% in the Czech Republic, max. 7.2 in Bulgaria).The lowest value was observed in Slovakia (2.6%), the Czech Republic (2.7%), and Estonia (3.2%), and the highest in Romania (6.9%), Poland (6.5%), and Bulgaria (6.5%). Productivity losses in Poland due to COVID-19 in 2020 amounted to EUR 570.330 million; in 2021 - EUR 341 million, in 2022 - EUR 118.900 million, in 2023 - EUR 207.47 million.
Conclusions:
In none of the analysed countries did the share of household health expenditure in 2020–2022 exceed 10% of total expenditure. The share of household expenditure on health in Poland was the third highest of the analysed countries, where the highest share of household expenditure on health was observed. Both the number of days of absence in total, the number of absences due to COVID-19, and indirect costs due to COVID-19 were the highest in 2020.
Introduction: The analysis of household expenditure on health in individual countries is of significant importance for public health.
Aim:
The main goal of the study was to analyze household health expenditure in Poland against the background of 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The second goal was to analyze absenteeism and calculate the costs of lost productivity due to COVID-19.
Material and methods:
In this study covering 11 Central and Eastern European countries, we conducted an analysis of household health expenditure in 2020–2022 and analyzed absenteeism and indirect costs of COVID-19 in Poland in 2019–2023. The Human Capital Method was used to estimate economic losses in employee productivity resulting from COVID-19 in Poland.
Results and discussion:
Median household expenditure on health (as % of total expenditure) for the analyzed countries (n = 11) in 2020 amounted to 5% (min. 2.4% in the Czech Republic, max. 7.2 in Bulgaria).The lowest value was observed in Slovakia (2.6%), the Czech Republic (2.7%), and Estonia (3.2%), and the highest in Romania (6.9%), Poland (6.5%), and Bulgaria (6.5%). Productivity losses in Poland due to COVID-19 in 2020 amounted to EUR 570.330 million; in 2021 - EUR 341 million, in 2022 - EUR 118.900 million, in 2023 - EUR 207.47 million.
Conclusions:
In none of the analysed countries did the share of household health expenditure in 2020–2022 exceed 10% of total expenditure. The share of household expenditure on health in Poland was the third highest of the analysed countries, where the highest share of household expenditure on health was observed. Both the number of days of absence in total, the number of absences due to COVID-19, and indirect costs due to COVID-19 were the highest in 2020.
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