Overview
- The 2024 barometer surveyed about 35,000 adults and, for the first time, tied health indicators to respondents’ socio‑economic position, allowing inequalities to be measured across the population.
- Overall, 68% of adults rate their health as good or very good, but this drops to about 50% among those in financial difficulty versus roughly 82% among the financially comfortable.
- Daily smoking has declined to roughly one in four adults, and public health officials credit anti‑tobacco efforts with about 4 million fewer smokers over the past decade, though smoking remains higher in deprived groups.
- Mental health strains persist, with 16% reporting a depressive episode in 2024 and about one in 20 suicidal thoughts, with heavier burdens among women, younger adults and people facing financial hardship.
- Four in five people report experiencing an extreme climate event and 40% say they suffered physically, underscoring prevention priorities that also include addressing vaccine hesitancy and poor awareness of antibiotic resistance.