Summary
Highlights on Health provide an overview of the health of a country’s population and the main factors related to it. When possible, comparisons are made with other countries in the WHO European Region as one means of assessing the comparative strengths and weaknesses, what has been achieved so far and what could be improved in the future. The country groups used for comparison are called reference countries and are chosen based on:
· similar health and socio-economic trends or development; and/or
· geopolitical groups such as the European Union (EU), the newly independent states, the
central Asian republics or the candidate countries for EU accession.

Relevance
Country Highlights give an overview of the health and health-related situation in a given coun- try and compare, where possible, its position in relation to other countries in the Region. The Highlights have been developed in collaboration with Member States for operational purposes and do not constitute a formal statistical publication. They are based on information provided by Member States and other sources as listed.