Artificial intelligence for health in the WHO European Region: country profiles

Overview

Amid rapid technological change, the health sector in the WHO European Region is witnessing the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI). This transformation offers opportunities to enhance health outcomes, reduce system pressures and improve care delivery, while also raising critical questions of ethics, governance, responsibility and safeguards to ensure safe and trustworthy adoption. This collection of country profiles – based on the 2024–2025 Survey on AI for Health in the WHO European Region – examines how Member States are navigating this evolving field. The profiles explore six themes: i) strategic and operational context, ii) engaging stakeholders and building workforce capacity, iii) regulatory and legal landscape, iv) health data governance, v) applications and opportunities of using AI for health, and vi) barriers to AI uptake in health care. Findings highlight both opportunities and barriers, from improving patient care and health outcomes and reducing pressure on the health-care workforce, to persistent challenges such as legal uncertainty, financial affordability and data quality. Informed by broader developments, including the European Union AI Act, the evidence provides a foundation for strengthening ethical safeguards and governance to guide the responsible integration of AI into health systems.