Parkinson's disease cost European countries 22.8 billion euros in 2019, amounting to 28.8 billion euros in 2025 prices, according to a new study.
Researchers publishing in the medical journal Movement Disorders warned that health and social care systems face growing pressure as the number of individuals living with the brain condition continues to rise.
Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological condition that affects movement and motor control, is the second most common and fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. Its frequency across Europe has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 135 to 247 cases per 100,000 residents. Medical researchers attribute the increase to an aging population and improvements in diagnostic techniques.
An estimated 2.2 million adults were living with Parkinson's disease across 47 European countries in 2019. The study calculated that direct medical and non-medical expenses accounted for 17.3 billion euros of the total burden. This figure includes hospital care, prescription medication, social care services, and home modifications.
A further 4.4 billion euros was spent on informal, unpaid care provided by family members and friends. Indirect expenses linked to lost workplace productivity contributed an additional 1 billion euros to the economic total.
National costs across Western Europe
Germany recorded the highest national cost at 5.7 billion euros. France followed with 5.3 billion euros, while Italy incurred 2.6 billion euros, Spain reached 1.9 billion euros, and the United Kingdom recorded 1.6 billion euros.
Together, these five nations accounted for approximately 75 percent of the total financial burden of Parkinson's disease in Europe.
Professor Richard Dodel of the University of Duisburg-Essen, a public research university in Germany, said the heavy concentration of costs in those five countries was likely driven by several combined factors. He pointed to their large populations, higher disease prevalence among older age groups, higher healthcare expenses in wealthier countries, and greater availability of medical data.
Data gaps and policy planning
The analysis also revealed significant gaps in available economic data across the region. Of the 14 cost studies reviewed by the researchers, 13 originated from high-income nations, leaving a complete lack of suitable primary data for low- and middle-income European countries.
As a result of these data limitations, the overall 22.8 billion euro cost figure covers 43 of the 47 countries where disease prevalence was evaluated.
The authors emphasized the need for standardized measurement methods to track the cost of Parkinson's disease. They said consistent and comparable data would enable governments and health authorities to plan services and formulate policy decisions more effectively.
The research was conducted as part of the Cost of Illness in Neurology in Europe initiative, known as COIN-Eu. The project is led by the European Academy of Neurology, a professional society representing European neurologists, which aims to quantify the social and economic impact of major neurological conditions across the continent.
