The share of older people receiving the influenza vaccine in Luxembourg has continued to decline, according to Europe-wide statistics released this week.

Latest Eurostat data shows that 42.9 percent of residents aged 65 and over were vaccinated in 2023. This is down from 43.4 percent in 2022 and marks the fourth consecutive annual drop since the Covid-era peak of 46.3 percent in 2020.

Luxembourg’s rate has been falling gradually over the past decade. In 2009 it stood at 52.3 percent, before dropping to a low of 37.6 percent in 2017. Although uptake rose briefly during the pandemic, the recent trend has returned to decline.

The country remains below the European Union average. Across the EU, 47.1 percent of people aged 65 or over were vaccinated in 2023, a slight decrease from 48.4 percent in 2022. The highest EU figure in this time series was recorded in 2009 at 52.4 percent.

RTL

Greater Region comparison

Luxembourg’s neighbours continue to report higher vaccination levels. France recorded 56.2 percent in 2023, maintaining a long-standing margin over the Grand Duchy. Belgium recorded 55.1 percent, also well above Luxembourg’s rate and broadly stable across recent years. Germany remains lower at 40.4 percent but shares the same long decline seen across much of Europe.

The Greater Region as a whole reflects the broader EU pattern of rising uptake during the pandemic followed by a return to pre-Covid levels, but Luxembourg’s rebound was shorter and its subsequent decline steeper.

Wide gap across member states

The latest figures highlight significant differences between countries. Denmark recorded the highest uptake among older residents, at 77.5 percent in 2023. Ireland and Portugal followed with 75.7 percent and 71.8 percent respectively.

At the lower end of the scale, Poland reported a rate of 9.6 percent, while Slovakia stood at 11.7 percent and Bulgaria at 15.2 percent.

Some of the largest year-on-year increases were in eastern Europe. Bulgaria saw the biggest increase, rising from 10.4 percent in 2022 to 15.2 percent in 2023. Lithuania and Poland also recorded smaller gains. At the other end of the scale, Cyprus posted the sharpest fall, dropping from 42.2 percent to 29.5 percent. Sweden and Estonia also saw declines, though on a more moderate scale.