We rank first in the EU for the share of doctors aged between 55 and 64

According to the latest data from the National Statistical Institute, over 30,000 doctors practice in Bulgaria, with their number increasing by 0.8% over the past year. Nevertheless, the healthcare system faces a serious demographic challenge—every third doctor in our country is set to retire within a few years. Thus, our country ranks first in the European Union in terms of the share of medics in the 55–64 age group.

The average age of Bulgarian doctors is 51 years. Immediately following them in numbers are the youngest specialists—up to 35 years old, who represent 19% of all doctors. An almost identical share—18.6%—is held by medics of retirement age between 65 and 74, with both groups numbering approximately 5,600–5,700 people. Doctors aged 35–44 account for 12.4%, and those between 45 and 54 represent 13.9%. There are still 1,441 doctors over the age of 75 practicing in the country, which represents nearly 4% of the profession.

Women continue to be the majority in the profession—outnumbering men by about 3,400. For every 10,000 people of the population in our country, there are nearly 47 doctors, which means that one doctor cares for an average of 214 Bulgarian citizens.

Regarding the place of work, inpatient healthcare facilities are most preferred by young doctors up to 44 years of age. Specialists over the age of 55 practice mainly in outpatient care, while doctors between 45 and 54 are most strongly represented in other health structures and centers.

In a European context, Eurostat data outline a distinct contrast. In Malta, almost half of the medics are under the age of 35, and in Romania, young doctors represent 36% of all. Bulgaria ranks 22nd in the EU with only 18% young doctors, followed only by Cyprus and Belgium at 17% each. In the group of doctors between 35 and 44 years old, our country ranks last in the European Union with a share of 11%.

Among middle-aged medics (45–54 years), Bulgaria ranks 18th with a 16% share, while for doctors of pre-retirement age (55–64 years), our country ranks first in the EU with 33% of all doctors. Latvia is in second place with 26%.

As for already retired doctors, the highest number of them continue to practice in Italy, while Bulgaria holds the fourth position. At the other end of the ranking are Finland and Malta, where the share of practicing retirees is 3% and 4.5% respectively. In our country, 4% of doctors are over 75 years of age, which places us sixth in the EU by this indicator. For comparison, in Hungary the share is 6%, and in Romania—only 0.1%.