Cross-country analysis of health worker mobility across the European Union and neighbouring countries (2010 – 2022)

This report provides a cross-country analysis of health worker mobility data within the EU and neighbouring countries from 2010 – 2022. It is based upon desk research and secondary and publicly available data retrieved from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) database and the European Commission Regulated Professions Database (RPD). It focuses on medical doctors and nurses in specific, by 1) illustrating the current reliance on foreign(-trained) doctors and nurses and highlighting the trends over time, and 2) depicting the overall geography of mobility of doctors and nurses between 2010 and 2022.

Our findings underscore the increasingly blurred dichotomy between sending and receiving countries in the EU and neighbouring countries. This report pinpoints two compounding geographical patterns of mobility across the EU and neighbouring countries: 1) one-way cross-regional mobility typically from Eastern and Southern European regions towards Western and Northern European countries, and 2) subregional mobility within Western and Northern European regions via subregional mobility ‘hubs’.

Still, key gaps in available data hamper our understanding of health worker mobility in EU and neighbouring countries. To improve the quality and availability of this data, we need, among others, institutional strengthening for coordinated data collection, registration and integration at health facility, national and international levels.

Read our cross-country analysis of health worker mobility across the EU and neighbouring countries (2010 – 2022) by clicking on the image below.

In addition, we have summarized the main highlights of our research in our Highlights report.