Children and adolescent health country profiles: a healthy start for a healthy life

Overview

This publication introduces the child and adolescent health country profiles developed for the WHO European Region under the joint WHO–UNICEF strategy A healthy start for a healthy life (2026–2030). Produced as part of the strategy development and consultation process, it supported Member States by providing a shared, comparable evidence base to inform discussions and strengthen the case for adopting a regional approach to child and adolescent health and well-being. The publication explains the purpose, structure and methodology used to produce the country profiles and summarizes key patterns across five areas aligned with the strategy: 1) country context; 2) child and adolescent development and health status; 3) health behaviours and outcomes; 4) policies for child and adolescent health; and 5) system performance. Indicators draw on established international sources and a 2025 Member State survey. The profiles are intended as a practical baseline for monitoring progress, supporting national planning and fostering accountability on priority issues such as mortality, early childhood development, immunization, mental health, nutrition and physical activity and protection from commercial and digital harms. The annex lists all country profiles and the separate regional profile.