There were 3,482 nursing and midwifery professionals and nursing and midwifery associate professionals in Luxembourg last year, per Eurostat, the EU statistics bureau.

For comparison, the figure was 4,260 in 2018, 3,729 in 2017, 3,072 in 2016, 3,726 in 2015, 4,569 in 2014, 4,294 in 2013, 4,426 in 2012 and 3,927 in 2011. (During the same nine-year period, Luxembourg’s population has grown 22% and overall workforce has risen by 26%.)

Low share of labour market in Luxembourg

Across the entire EU27, the number of nurses and midwives grew from 4m in 2011 to 4.45m in 2019.

Nurses and midwives made up the second smallest share of overall employment in Luxembourg (and Latvia): 1.2% of the total workforce in 2019. Only Bulgaria (1.1%) was more understaffed. Hungary, Cyprus and Estonia (all 1.3%) and Poland and Greece (both 1.4%) also had low proportions.

Germany (3.4%), Finland (3%), Belgium (2.9%) and Ireland (2.8%) had the highest rates. Nurses and midwives were 2.4% of total employment in France. The EU27 average was 2.2%.

Eurostat released the numbers on 12 May, to mark International Nurses Day.