A new report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has identified Greece as one of the European countries facing significant difficulties in tackling non-communicable diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and chronic respiratory conditions.

According to the study, Greece belongs to a group of countries characterized by insufficient control of key health risk factors and a high burden of chronic illness. The report also notes above-average rates of premature deaths linked to non-communicable diseases.

High Burden of Disease

The OECD assessed the impact of chronic illnesses using Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), a measure that combines years of life lost due to premature death with years lived in poor health or disability.

The findings show that Greece records higher-than-average disease burdens in several major categories compared with the broader European benchmark:

• Cardiovascular diseases: 7,207 DALYs per 100,000 people, compared with a European average of 6,823.
• Cancer: 6,748 DALYs per 100,000 people, versus a European average of 5,789.
• Chronic respiratory diseases: 1,291 DALYs per 100,000 people, compared with 1,126 across Europe.
• Type 2 diabetes: 961 DALYs per 100,000 people, slightly below the European average of 983.

The report suggests that these figures reflect both the prevalence of chronic conditions and the challenges healthcare systems face in preventing and managing them effectively.

Smoking and Obesity Among Key Risk Factors

The OECD links Greece’s health outcomes to several major risk factors.

The report cites:

• A smoking rate of 29%.
• An obesity rate of 34%.
• Annual alcohol consumption of roughly seven liters of pure alcohol per adult.

Based on these indicators, Greece ranks among the countries with some of the highest smoking and obesity rates within the OECD, while alcohol consumption remains closer to the European average.

The study estimates that 77% of the burden of cardiovascular disease in Greece is associated with modifiable risk factors such as smoking, obesity, poor diet and insufficient physical activity. Similar links were found for chronic respiratory diseases and cancer.

Mortality Rates Remain Elevated

The OECD report also highlights higher mortality indicators compared with many Western European countries.

For cardiovascular diseases, Greece records a mortality-to-incidence ratio of 473 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with a European average of 409. In cancer, mortality reaches 343 deaths per 100,000 people, significantly above the European benchmark of 271.

Mortality linked to chronic respiratory diseases also exceeds the European average, while type 2 diabetes shows a lower mortality indicator than the broader European figure.

According to the OECD, such indicators provide insight not only into how common diseases are, but also into the effectiveness of prevention programs, early diagnosis and access to quality healthcare services.

Call for Stronger Prevention Policies

The report concludes that countries in Greece’s group face a 14% probability of premature death from non-communicable diseases, compared with an average of 11% across the wider European region.

To reduce the growing burden of chronic illness, the OECD recommends stronger prevention strategies, more effective control of risk factors and improved long-term management of chronic diseases.