30% of European doctors and 18% of European nurses are at least 55 years old.

Omissions

• The claimed shares (30% of doctors, 18% of nurses) correspond to EU data for 2020 (as quoted in a 2025 CPME document citing the figure); the more recent Eurostat/OECD data for 2022–2024 show clearly higher shares.
• The claim does not specify a reference year, presenting 2020 figures as if they were current (2026).
• More recent Eurostat data show the share of physicians aged 55+ was above 38% in ten EU countries in 2024, and in some countries (e.g. Lithuania 48.9% of nurses in 2023) the shares are far higher.

Sources

• PrimaryOECD — Health at a Glance: Europe 2024Over one-third of doctors and a quarter of nurses in the EU are aged over 55 and expected to retire in the coming years.
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Commission and OECD report shows need to further promote healthy ageingWith over one-third of doctors and a quarter of nurses in Europe aged over 55 and expected to retire in the coming years, decisive action is ...
• PrimaryEurostat — Healthcare personnel statistics: physiciansIn 2024, the share of physicians aged 55 years and over was above 38.0% in 10 EU countries (see Figure 2). However, this is slightly lower than in 2023.
• SecondaryEuronews — 1 in 3 doctors in Europe are older than 55In 2022, over one-third of doctors in EU countries were aged 55 and over. ... Proportion of doctors and nurses aged 55 years and over (2022).
• SecondaryCPME (Standing Committee of European Doctors) — WHO Europe document2020, nearly 30% of doctors and 18% of nurses were over the age of 55 (2), while the median retirement age is 64.4 years in Organisation for ...