The European health report is a flagship publication, published every three years. The 2012 report set the baseline for monitoring progress towards the six targets of the European policy framework, Health 2020. The 2015 report presents the progress made since the baseline. An assessment of the available data on all the targets reveals that the European Region is on track, but much potential remains for further health gains and reductions in inequalities. The 2015 report gives an update on the challenges in measuring and reporting on progress towards Health 2020, particularly in measuring well-being, and proposes new sources of qualitative evidence to describe and monitor well-being. Facts and figures are not enough to report meaningfully on what it means to be healthy and well in Europe. The 2015 European health report argues that new forms of evidence are necessary to fully capture this. Stronger international collaboration is required to advance the agenda for health-information research and development in the Region.