🩺 The European Countries Most Dependent on Foreign-Trained Doctors

What We’re Showing:

This graphic visualizes the share of foreign-trained doctors in European countries, according to the latest available data from OECD.org.

Figures for several countries have not been released by the source and thus haven't been included in this map.

Key Takeaways

Wealthier EU economies find themselves relying heavily on foreign-trained doctors and nurses. 

For example, in Switzerland, the share of foreign-trained doctors rose from 25% between 2000-2010 to nearly 40% a decade later.

Domino effect as countries fight for health workers

According to Euronews, countries are trying to plug gaps in health worker employment after being targeted by international recruitment themselves. Here's an excerpt from their full report (linked in the sources tab):

“The mobility of health professionals has created a domino effect,” Mara said.

“German doctors, for example, move to Switzerland or Austria, and their positions are often filled by doctors from neighbouring [European Union] countries. In turn, these neighbouring countries replace their doctors with professionals from non-EU countries, and the cycle continues”.