Italy came out well in the OECD's latest 'Health at a Glance Europe' report. According to the data in the report, regarding figures for 2015, Italy is top in the EU in terms of preventable deaths, with 151 for every 100,000 inhabitants, compared to an EU average of 216. The report said around 1.2 million deaths in the EU could be prevented each year with better public health policies and better health care. It said the main causes of death are heart diseases, lung cancer, road accidents and alcohol-related fatalities.

The life expectancy of people living in Italy has dropped to 82.7 years according to the new European Commission-OECD report on Europe's health systems, down from 83.2 years in the 2016 report. Italy remains the EU country with the second-longest life expectancy after Spain, the report said. It said Italy spends less on health care than other Western European States and estimated that 19% of Italian public health spending was wasted.