This report provides a comprehensive overview of the state of men’s health across the 27 Member States of the European Union, the 4 states of the European Free Trade Association (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein) and the 3 candidate countries (Croatia, Turkey, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). It highlights the broad range of mortality and morbidity data arising from the many different health conditions that affect men in Europe, and does so through the contextual lens of men’s lives.

We see patterns emerging from the data that show marked differences between the health of men and women, and at the same time large disparities in health outcomes between men in different countries and within male populations in each Member State. This variability demonstrates that men’s health disadvantage is not biological inevitability.

What is apparent is that although there is a large volume of sex disaggregated data collected across Member States, there is little analysis or consideration of the broader socio-cultural factors underpinning the data, and even fewer attempts to translate this into gender-proofed policy and practice in ways that enable men’s perspectives to become visible.

A main message from this report is that there is a high level of preventable premature morbidity and mortality in men, which will only be addressed by targeted activity across the lifespan.

Across and within Member States those who are in poorer material and social conditions eat less healthily, exercise less, consume more alcohol, and are more likely to smoke or misuse drugs. In the context of addressing premature mortality among men, there is a growing awareness of the need for lifestyle modification early in life among men engaged in damaging health behaviours.