Practising nurses

Nurses with a qualification recognised under EU rules who provide services directly to patients, per 100,000 inhabitants. National coverage of nursing categories varies.

Unit: Nurses per 100,000 inhabitants Frequency: Annual Coverage: 33 countries 1980 to 2025 Source: Eurostat
Highest in 2024 1,524 per 100,000 people Norway Lowest in 2024 106 per 100,000 people Romania
Countries ranked for 2024 30 Updated by the source on 13 July 2026

30 countries have a value for 2024, the latest period with data for most countries. Some countries have newer figures; see the ranking below for each country's latest year.

Trend over time

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2 selected
Cyprus × Malta ×

Nurses per 100,000 inhabitants. Source: Eurostat. Gaps mean no published value; points are not joined across missing years.

Practising nurses (nurses per 100,000 inhabitants), 2001 to 2024
Period CyprusMalta
2024 519 per 100,000 people 797 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2023 521 per 100,000 people 746 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2022 506 per 100,000 people 779 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2021 503 per 100,000 people 798 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2020 511 per 100,000 people 801 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2019 523 per 100,000 people 769 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2018 524 per 100,000 people 780 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2017 518 per 100,000 people 804 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2016 505 per 100,000 people 814 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2015 501 per 100,000 people 772 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2014 480 per 100,000 people 787 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2013 467 per 100,000 people 700 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2012 456 per 100,000 people 669 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2011 462 per 100,000 people 669 per 100,000 peoplebe (break in time series, estimated)
2010 446 per 100,000 people 648 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
2009 439 per 100,000 people 621 per 100,000 peoplebde (break in time series, definition differs (see metadata), estimated)
2008 421 per 100,000 people 647 per 100,000 peoplede (definition differs (see metadata), estimated)
2007 438 per 100,000 people 587 per 100,000 peoplede (definition differs (see metadata), estimated)
2006 418 per 100,000 people 563 per 100,000 peoplede (definition differs (see metadata), estimated)
2005 394 per 100,000 people 550 per 100,000 peoplede (definition differs (see metadata), estimated)
2004 – 532 per 100,000 peoplede (definition differs (see metadata), estimated)
2003 – 519 per 100,000 peoplede (definition differs (see metadata), estimated)
2002 – 519 per 100,000 peoplebde (break in time series, definition differs (see metadata), estimated)
2001 – 375 per 100,000 peoplede (definition differs (see metadata), estimated)

Flags: de definition differs (see metadata), estimated; bde break in time series, definition differs (see metadata), estimated; e estimated; be break in time series, estimated . A dash means no value was published.

In short

  • Among the 30 countries with a value for 2024, the highest is Norway (1,524 per 100,000 people) and the lowest Romania (106 per 100,000 people).
  • Half of the countries are above 729 per 100,000 people and half below.
  • From 2023 to 2024 the value rose in 22 countries and fell in 6.

About this measure

Definition
Nurses with a qualification recognised under EU rules who provide services directly to patients, per 100,000 inhabitants. National coverage of nursing categories varies.
Population covered
Total population
Unit
Nurses per 100,000 inhabitants
Frequency
Annual
Changes are shown as
Differences in the same unit (per 100,000 people)

Source and dates

Original producer
Eurostat
Source
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
Dataset or series code
hlth_rs_prs2 · dataset details · view at source
Selection
freq=A med_spec=NRS unit=P_HTHAB wstatus=PRACT
Observation period
1980 to 2025
Provider update
13 July 2026
Retrieved
9 November 2026
Published here
9 November 2026
Licence
Eurostat reuse policy (attribution)
Attribution
Source: Eurostat

All countries in 2024 Every value is for 2024, so the countries are compared at the same point in time.

  1. 1 Norway 1,524 per 100,000 people
  2. 2 Luxembourg 1,472 per 100,000 people
  3. 3 Ireland 1,419 per 100,000 people
  4. 4 Finland 1,290 per 100,000 peopled (definition differs (see metadata))
  5. 5 Germany 1,251 per 100,000 people
  6. 6 Switzerland 1,215 per 100,000 people
  7. 7 Netherlands 1,123 per 100,000 people
  8. 8 Sweden 1,114 per 100,000 people
  9. 9 Denmark 1,053 per 100,000 people
  10. 10 Iceland 1,032 per 100,000 peopled (definition differs (see metadata))
  11. 11 Austria 1,015 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
  12. 12 Czechia 799 per 100,000 people
  13. 13 Malta 797 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
  14. 14 Lithuania 770 per 100,000 people
  15. 15 Liechtenstein 737 per 100,000 people
  16. 16 Portugal 721 per 100,000 people
  17. 17 Serbia 711 per 100,000 peopled (definition differs (see metadata))
  18. 18 Italy 692 per 100,000 people
  19. 19 Estonia 683 per 100,000 people
  20. 20 Poland 601 per 100,000 people
  21. 21 Spain 573 per 100,000 peoplee (estimated)
  22. 22 Slovenia 521 per 100,000 people
  23. 23 Cyprus 519 per 100,000 people
  24. 24 Hungary 460 per 100,000 people
  25. 25 Bulgaria 441 per 100,000 people
  26. 26 Latvia 414 per 100,000 people
  27. 27 Croatia 265 per 100,000 people
  28. 28 Greece 248 per 100,000 peopled (definition differs (see metadata))
  29. 29 Montenegro 122 per 100,000 people
  30. 30 Romania 106 per 100,000 people

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Grey: no value for 2024. Colour groups split countries into roughly equal numbers. Boundaries: Natural Earth.