Strong primary care systems are essential for achieving universal health coverage, managing multimorbidity, and reducing health inequities. Yet in many countries, primary care remains poorly visible in health system intelligence: data are fragmented, indicators focus on utilisation rather than function, and evidence often fails to translate into actionable policy decisions.

This keynote explores how primary care intelligence can be strengthened to better inform policy action. Drawing on international experiences from Europe and Asia, the presentation examines what types of data, indicators, and analytic approaches are required to understand primary care not merely as a service platform, but as a core health system function. Particular attention is given to measuring complexity, continuity, integration, and equity—dimensions that are central to primary care performance but often insufficiently captured in routine information systems.