Cyprus fourth in EU for number of doctors

In 2021 Cyprus ranked fourth in the EU in terms of the number of practising doctors per capita, according to data just released by Eurostat.

In Cyprus the number of licensed physicians came to 4961, corresponding to 551 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants.

Among the EU bloc, Greece (629.2) and Portugal (562.0) recorded the highest numbers of physicians per 100, 000 inhabitants, followed by Austria (540.9) and then Cyprus.

By contrast, the lowest ratios were registered in France (318.3), Belgium (324.8) and Hungary (329.8).

In 2021, the EU had an estimated 1.82 million practising physicians. In absolute numbers, most practising doctors were recorded in Germany – 377 000, equivalent to 21 per cent of the EU total. There followed Italy (243 000), France (216 000) and Spain (213 000).

For Cyprus specifically, the per capita ratio of licensed physicians rose considerably since 2016. In that year there were 419 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants, increasing to 516 in 2020 and then to 551 in 2021.

Eurostat also recorded an increase in the number of physiotherapists working in the EU, including in Cyprus.

In 2021 there were 1065 licensed physiotherapists in Cyprus – compared to 670 in 2017. And per capita there were 118 physiotherapists per 100,000 inhabitants.

A total of 611,000 physiotherapists worked in the EU as a whole, corresponding to an average of 136.7 per 100,000 inhabitants.