Cataract surgery, which involves the extraction of the lens from the eye, was performed just over 5.0 million times in the EU in 2023. This corresponds to a rate of 1,118.0 surgeries per 100.000 people.
Luxembourg recorded the highest rate, with 1,627.3 cataract surgeries per 100,000 people. France and Estonia had the next highest rates, with 1,598.7 and 1,506.8 surgical procedures per 100,000 people respectively.
In contrast, Romania had the lowest rate, with only 389.4 cataract surgeries per 100,000 people, followed by Poland (628.8) and Bulgaria (745.8).
Source dataset: hlth_co_proc3
Most patients were released on the same day
Across the EU, only 6.4% of patients undergoing cataract surgery were formally admitted as in-patients, requiring an overnight stay. Most patients were released on the same day, either as formally admitted day patients (55.8%) or out-patients (37.8%; based on data available for 24 countries).
Source dataset: hlth_co_proc3
In 19 of 27 EU countries, more than half of the patients undergoing cataract surgery were registered as day patients. Day patients were the overwhelming majority in Portugal, Spain, Estonia, Sweden, Ireland, Finland and Malta, with shares ranging from 98.0% in Malta to 99.2% in Portugal.
In Slovenia (98.8%), Czechia (98.5%), Italy (91.9%), Germany (87.9%) and the Netherlands (79.9%) most patients undergoing cataract surgery were treated as out-patients.
In Romania and Bulgaria, the majority of patients were kept overnight (in-patients), with shares of 57.0% and 54.7%, respectively.
For more information
- Statistics Explained article on surgical operations and procedures
- Thematic section on health
- Database on health
- Key figures on European living conditions – 2025 edition
Methodological notes
- An in-patient is formally admitted (or ‘hospitalised’) to an institution for treatment and/or care and stays for a minimum of one night or more than 24 hours.
- Day patient is formally admitted with the intention of being discharged on the same day. If a day patient stays overnight, their episode of care is classified as an overnight stay or other in-patient case.
- Out-patient receives medical and ancillary services but is not formally admitted and does not stay overnight. Unlike day patients, out-patients are not awarded a hospital bed and generally require fewer resources.
