"The increase in the share of healthcare workers with reduced contractual workloads is primarily driven by employment across multiple positions, institutions and roles, which in turn is caused by the labor shortage in the healthcare sector," explained Tiiu-Liisa Rummo, senior analyst at the National Institute for Health Development (TAI).

Eighteen percent of healthcare workers in Estonia hold more than one job, either within the same institution or across different ones.

"Working in multiple institutions also allows healthcare professionals to plan their schedules more flexibly and gain more diverse work experience," Rummo added.

The share of healthcare professionals working in the private sector is also growing — over the past decade, it has increased from 34 percent to 39 percent.

Last year alone, the proportion of healthcare workers employed in the private sector rose by a few percentage points. This growth was especially notable among support specialists and mental health professionals. Their increased presence in the private sector is linked to a government decision that, starting in 2023, allows them to independently provide supportive healthcare services and treatment.

The number of healthcare workers employed simultaneously in both the public and private sectors has also increased — from 6 percent to 8 percent over the past ten years. Doctors (15 percent) and psychologists and psychotherapists (14 percent) are most likely to work in both sectors.

As of November 2024, Estonia had a total of 27,806 healthcare professionals and specialists, which is a 3 percent increase compared to 2023.

Over the past decade, the total number of active healthcare workers has grown by an average of 2 percent annually.

In 2024, there were 4,911 doctors working in Estonia — a 3 percent increase over the previous year.

The average age of doctors was 50, a figure that has remained largely unchanged in recent years.

There were 9,374 nurses, also a 3 percent increase year-over-year. The average age of nurses was 46, which has also remained stable in recent years.

In 2024, Estonia had 3.6 doctors and 6.8 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants. On average, there were 1.9 nurses per doctor. These ratios are below the European Union average: in 2022, the EU had 4.2 doctors and 8.4 nurses per 1,000 people.

There were 960 family physicians working in Estonia in 2024, a 2 percent increase from the previous year. Each family physician cared for an average of 1,427 patients.

The average age of family physicians was 56. The proportion of family physicians at retirement age has increased by an average of 1.6 percentage points annually over the past decade, compared to 0.6 percentage points for all doctors. In 2024, 31 percent of family physicians were aged 65 or older (up from 29 percent in 2023), while 23 percent of all doctors fell into the same age group.

Last year, Estonia had 1,434 dentists and 1,319 dental nurses, both up 2 percent from the year before. The average age of dentists was 47.5 years, while for dental nurses it was 45.

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