Antimicrobial consumption in the EU/EEA (ESAC-Net) – Annual Epidemiological Report for 2023

In 2023, the EU population-weighted mean total consumption of antibacterials for systemic use was 20.0 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day, 1% higher than in 2019, and 4.1 DDD higher than the 2030 target. The consumption of WHO ‘Access’ group antibiotics was 61.5%, 0.4 percentage points higher than 2019 and 3.5 percentage points below the 2030 target. The poor progress towards EU targets on antimicrobial consumption and the continued increase in WHO ‘Reserve’ and ‘broad-spectrum’ antibiotics highlight the need for stronger efforts to address unnecessary and inappropriate use in healthcare.