In 2022, over one-third of doctors in EU countries were aged 55 and over. This share was 40 per cent or more in half of the member states.
According to the ‘Health at a Glance: Europe 2024’ report, co-published by the OECD and the European Commission, which said over one-third (35 per cent) of doctors in the EU were aged 55 or more.
This figure is an unweighted average, meaning it does not take population size into account. Since the proportion was over 40 per cent in the most populous member states, the weighted average is likely higher than 35 per cent.
The situation is more serious in nearly half of the countries, where almost one in five doctors is 65 or older.
“The ageing of the medical workforce, particularly in combination with ongoing shortages and rising healthcare demands, poses a serious risk to the sustainability of healthcare systems in Europe,” Dr Ole Johan Bakke, President of the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), told Euronews Health.
So, which countries have the highest share of older doctors? And where is the greatest risk of an ageing medical workforce?
Majority of doctors in Italy and Bulgaria are over 55
The share of doctors aged 55 and over ranged from 21 per cent in Romania to 54 per cent in both Bulgaria and Italy. When including the UK (2021 data) and selected EU candidate and EFTA countries with available data, the UK had the lowest proportion at 14 per cent, followed by Turkey at 15 per cent.
The large gap between countries such as the UK and Italy can be attributed to policies regarding the number of contracts for postgraduate training – which in Italy have been reduced for many years due to a lack of economic investment and foresight – and to the different level of attractiveness these countries hold for doctors educated abroad,” Dr Alessandra Spedicato, President of the European Federation of Salaried Doctors (FEMS) explained.
