Health literacy was identified as a priority for action during the 2025 Council of Europe Conference on Health Protection. Health literacy is the ability of individuals to find, understand, and use health information, stands at the heart of equitable, resilient, and rights-based health systems.

Yet, almost half of European populations have limited health literacy. It is estimated that low health literacy costs economies between 3-5% of the total annual healthcare budget amounting to billions of Euros in many member states of the Council of Europe.  

In line with commitments under the European Social Charter and the Oviedo Convention, the Council of Europe aims to support member states in scaling-up equitable access to health information and services. This strengthens the link between political decision-making and people, through the engagement of institutions, with particular attention to the health of individuals and groups in situations of vulnerability.

• Guide to health literacy
• Report - Promoting health literacy and human rights to reduce stigma and discrimination |2026 | by Kristine Sørensen, Global Health Literacy Academy
• Report  - Health literacy is a human rights concern | 2024 |by Kristine Sørensen, Global Health Literacy Academy
• Health literacy dedicated webpage