These Maghrebi doctors who make France happy

The international organization notes that while member countries have increased their own training capacities, this has not been enough. As a result, "the recruitment of doctors and nursing staff internationally has also continued to increase". The figures are telling: between 2001 and 2021, the number of foreign-born doctors practicing in the OECD increased by 86%, and that of nurses by 142%.

The United States is by far the main host country for these professionals, with one million healthcare workers born abroad. They are followed by Germany (330,000) and the United Kingdom (308,000). France ranks sixth with nearly 90,000 professionals, with foreigners accounting for 18% of its doctors.

North Africa, the main pool for France

The report points out that Asia is the main continent of origin for these healthcare workers globally (40% of doctors). India is the leading supplier of doctors. However, France stands out for its highly targeted geographical recruitment.

For the Hexagon, the countries that provide the most doctors are Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. In total, 49.4% of foreign doctors practicing in France are from the African continent.

Some countries, like Finland, have made "deliberate efforts" to attract these profiles, by offering training in English coupled with local language courses. The report also notes the particular case of Romania, from where many doctors come: in fact, they are mostly French nationals who go to study medicine there before returning to practice in France.

However, the OECD warns against the "cascading" effects of this mobility. Jean-Christophe Dumont, one of the authors, points out that this immigration has repercussions on the countries of origin, which themselves find themselves in shortage. Seven countries in the world now have more doctors working in the OECD than on their own territory, a phenomenon that mainly affects the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.