Background Guaranteeing access to healthcare among the older population is essential to the planning and preparation of health services. We describe the health care visits among the population 50+ across 27+ European countries, the spatio-temporal trends and determinants, and the changes during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods We used individual panel data from 27 European countries across 10 waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. We analysed the number of healthcare visits (NHV) over time and their correlation with age and chronic conditions using a Bayesian spatio-temporal model.

Results The nominal rate of healthcare visits varied among countries from two to five visits per year and increased over time, with a slight convergence across countries. The NHV were higher for women and increased approximately linearly with age. Individuals with chronic conditions had a 20%–60% higher NHV, with the largest difference for individuals with cancer. The COVID-19 epidemic severely affected the NHV, with an estimated reduction from 65% to 95%. During COVID-19, older individuals and those with chronic conditions had a more than proportional reduction in the NHV. After COVID-19, the pattern of NHV mostly returned to pre-pandemic levels, with an over-shooting for people with cancer and a lag for people with cardiovascular diseases.

Conclusion The quick recovery in the NHV for most European countries indicate that access to care stabilised again. Yet, gap in care during COVID-19 was more than proportionate for vulnerable groups, such that these groups require timely action to prevent long-term consequences of missed care.