More and extra medical doctors from overseas in Germany | EUROtoday

As of: February 24, 2026 • 4:36 p.m

One in eight medical doctors in Germany doesn’t have a German passport. The proportion has elevated considerably in recent times. At the identical time, the necessity is rising as a result of many medical doctors will probably be retiring within the subsequent few years.

An growing variety of medical doctors with international nationality are working in Germany. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2024 64,000 medical doctors didn’t have a German passport. That corresponds to round 13 p.c. Ten years in the past it was 30,000 or seven p.c.

In 2024, a complete of 121,000 medical doctors who immigrated from overseas labored in human and dental medication. That’s round 1 / 4 of all the medical career. Some of them now have German citizenship. 42 p.c have lived in Germany for lower than ten years.

Recognition of {qualifications} is usually a prolonged course of

In 2024, 7,000 medical levels obtained overseas had been acknowledged as equal. Of these, 21 p.c had been German residents who studied overseas, typically in Austria or Hungary. The second largest group had been Syrians. 800 Syrian levels in human medication and 100 in dentistry had been acknowledged.

There is criticism of the lengthy, typically arbitrary procedures. Atilla Vurgun from the Academy for the Medical Professions in Frankfurt accompanies international medical doctors on their method to the German healthcare system. He studies on circumstances that drag on for years. Applicants additionally generally have to attend a very long time for appointments for so-called data assessments. Whether {qualifications} are acknowledged is typically “like a lottery,” says Vurgun, as every federal state has its personal requirements.

Many medical doctors are older than 55

According to the Federal Statistical Office, the necessity for immigration is more likely to stay excessive. A big proportion of medical doctors in Germany will probably be retiring within the subsequent few years as a consequence of age. In 2024, nearly a 3rd of the medical career was already older than 55 years. The immigrant medical doctors, alternatively, are notably younger. Almost half of the international medical doctors had been youthful than 35 years.