Dentists, physios and pharmacists in the EU in 2022

In 2022, there were more than 1.4 million health-care professionals in the EU working as dentists, physiotherapists or pharmacists.

Among the 26 countries for which data are available, there were 363 162 dentists in 2022. The country with the highest share of practising dentists by population was Cyprus (with 119.4 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants), while Greece (with 133.2 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants), and Portugal (120.6 dentists per 100,000 inhabitants) reported higher shares of dentists licensed to practice. 

At the other end of the scale, Ireland had the fewest dentists per 100,000 inhabitants with 45.1, followed by Malta with 50.8 and Slovakia with 54.7. 

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Physiotherapists are key to helping patients recover from injuries and manage chronic conditions; in 2022 there were an estimated 626 027 physiotherapists in the EU. 

Germany led the EU with 235.1 physiotherapists per 100 000 inhabitants, ahead of Belgium (220.5) and the Netherlands (198.1). By contrast, Romania had the fewest physiotherapists with 14.2 per 100 000 inhabitants, followed by Bulgaria (26.8) and Slovakia (41.0). 

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For pharmacists, among the 26 countries for which data are available there were 418 456 employed in the EU in 2022.

Malta had the highest number of practicing pharmacists with 151.6 per 100 000 inhabitants. Italy followed with 135.6 (estimated data), and Belgium with 132.5. 

Conversely, the Netherlands had the fewest pharmacists per 100 000 inhabitants with 21.9, followed by Denmark (58.1; 2021 data) and Germany (67.3). 

For more information

• Statistics Explained article on health-care personnel statistics – dentists, pharmacists and physiotherapists
• Thematic section on health
• Database on health

Methodological notes

• The EU aggregate is calculated using the most recent data for each country, with the furthest dating back five years. As this data is not available for dentists, the EU aggregate was not calculated.
• For dentists and pharmacists, Eurostat collects data for 3 concepts:
  • ‘practicing’: healthcare professionals providing services directly to patients.
  • ‘professionally active’: ‘practicing’ professionals plus healthcare professionals for whom their medical education is a prerequisite for the execution of their job.
  • ‘licensed’: healthcare professionals who are registered and entitled to practice as healthcare professionals.
• Dentists diagnose, treat and prevent diseases, injuries and abnormalities of the teeth, mouth, jaws and associated tissues. They use a broad range of specialised diagnostic, surgical and other techniques to promote and restore oral health.
• Physiotherapists assess, plan and implement rehabilitative programmes that improve or restore human motor functions, maximise movement ability, relieve pain syndromes, and treat or prevent physical challenges associated with injuries, diseases and other impairments. They apply a broad range of physical therapies and techniques such as movement, ultrasound, heating, laser and other techniques.
• Pharmacists store, preserve, compound, dispense and sell medicinal products – irrespective of where they provide these services. They may also provide advice on the proper use and adverse effects of drugs and medicines following prescriptions issued by medical doctors and other health professionals.

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