The internet is full of information, which needs to be considered critically. Photo: Shutterstock

The internet is full of information, which needs to be considered critically. Photo: Shutterstock

In 2021, 54% of Luxembourg residents between the ages of 16 and 74 checked health information on the internet, a trend that has grown over the past decade.

A Eurostat study published on 7 April found that 55% of Europeans would look up health-related content for private purposes in 2021. As devices and the internet have become more easily accessible, the phenomenon has grown sharply since 2011.

Finland, with 80% of its citizens looking up symptoms and the likes on the internet, topped the chart, followed by the Netherlands and Norway (both 77%) and Denmark (75%). Luxembourg ranked just below the European average. Germans (45%), Romanians (40%) and Bulgarians (36%) were least likely to resort to the internet for their research.

The study, however, does not state whether citizens looked up their symptoms or whether they researched a diagnosed illness, overall health information or other items.