The European Union faces a shortage of 4.1 million health professionals.

Omissions

• The 4.1 million figure is a WHO PROJECTION for 2030, not the current shortage; the MEP presented a future projection as if it were the present-day deficit.
• The most recent official estimate of the actual current EU health workforce deficit is about 1.2 million doctors, nurses and midwives as of 2022 (OECD/European Commission, Health at a Glance: Europe 2024).
• The 4.1 million projection is often cited without its 2030 time horizon, which inflates the perceived magnitude of today's shortage by roughly 3.4 times.

Sources

• PrimaryOECD — Health at a Glance: Europe 2024"Based on minimum staffing thresholds for universal health coverage (UHC), EU countries had an estimated shortage of approximately 1.2 million doctors, nurses and midwives..."
• SecondaryEuronews"The World Health Organization (WHO) projects that the European Union will face a shortage of 4.1 million healthcare workers by 2030."
• SecondaryEuropean Parliament — EPRS At a Glance (Healthcare in the EU: shortages)"...the Health at a glance: Europe 2024 report, presented to the Public Health (SANT) Committee on 29 January 2025, estimates a shortage of 1.2 million doctors, nurses and midwives in the EU as of 2022."
• SecondaryEU Perspectives"The World Health Organization (WHO) counted a shortfall of 1.2 million health workers in 2022 in its European region. It expects a gap of almost..."
• SecondaryEuropean Committee of the Regions (CoR)"The World Health Organization (WHO) projects a shortage of 4.1 million healthcare workers..." (in the EU by 2030)