Greece is emerging as both a major exporter of doctors and nurses and a significant importer of foreign labor for tourism, construction and agriculture, according to new findings from the OECD’s International Migration Outlook 2025.
The country holds the highest ratio of doctors to population among OECD members, with 6.6 physicians per 1,000 inhabitants.
That density, combined with what the report describes as low pay and difficult working conditions in Greece’s National Health System, is driving many health professionals abroad. Greece is grouped with Poland, Hungary and Slovakia among the biggest exporters of doctors and nurses within the OECD.
The data show that Greece “supplies” medical staff to national health systems in Italy, Germany and the UK, even as those countries also send health workers elsewhere. The US, Australia and Switzerland appear as the largest net beneficiaries of medical sector mobility. France and Austria fall in the middle, losing doctors to Switzerland while gaining from Italy, described as a net recruiter of Greek health professionals.
Greece, along with Israel, also records a relatively high return rate of doctors who earned degrees abroad, reflecting what the report calls the internationalization of medical and nursing education. The country maintains the highest doctor-to-population ratio when including all licensed physicians, though not all are active. By contrast, Greece ranks among the lowest OECD countries in nurse density.
While exporting health workers, Greece imports foreign labor for lower-paid sectors. Among migrants employed in the Greek labor market, 18.8% work in hospitality and food service, 17.3% in construction, 15% in wholesale and retail trade, and 9% in agriculture and fisheries.
In 2023, 35% of Greek nationals who emigrated moved to Germany, while overall emigration to OECD countries fell by 4%. At the same time, Greece saw sharp declines in employment among highly educated migrants and remains among the four OECD members with the highest migrant unemployment rate at 15.4%, leading the bloc in long-term migrant joblessness at 60%.
Greece designated 89,290 positions for third-country nationals in 2025, including 41,670 salaried jobs, 45,620 seasonal roles, and 2,000 high-skill posts. A digital platform launched in summer 2024 supports a bilateral agreement with Egypt for seasonal agricultural workers, with similar initiatives under way with India.