OBJECTIVES: The aim of our research is to examine the changes in the number of different categories of specialists working in the European OECD countries.

METHODS: Indicators analysed regarding the numbers of specialist medical practitioners (ISCO-08 code: 2212) including general paediatricians, medical group of specialists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, psychiatrists, surgical group of specialists, other specialists not elsewhere classified were derived from the “OECD Health Statistics 2023” database for the period 2010-2020. 24 European OECD countries were grouped according to the geographical location. Data were subsequently compared by parametric and nonparametric tests for the years 2010 and 2020.

RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2020, the number of specialists per 100,000 population in European OECD countries increased by 20.8%, of which general paediatricians by 19.7%, medical specialists by 21.2%, obstetricians and gynaecologists by 13.1%, psychiatrists by 15.8%, surgical specialists by 24.5% and other specialists by 9.2%. When comparing Western and Eastern European countries, we found a significant difference in the number of obstetricians and gynaecologists per 100,000 population in 2010 (p=0.028). In 2010, the proportion of general paediatricians was the highest in Slovenia (13.0%), medical specialists in Poland (52.2%), obstetricians and gynaecologists in Estonia (8.8%), psychiatrists in Switzerland (17.4%), surgical specialists in the United Kingdom (39.4%) and other specialists in Finland (38.1%). In 2020, the proportion of general paediatricians was the highest in Slovenia (12.6%), medical specialists in Greece (51.5%), obstetricians and gynaecologists in the Czech Republic and Estonia (9.0%), psychiatrists in Switzerland (19.8%), surgical specialists in the United Kingdom (39.5%), other specialists in Finland (33.9%).

CONCLUSIONS: Among specialists, the number of surgical specialists increased the most in Europe. There was a significant difference in the number of obstetricians and gynaecologists per 100,000 population between Western and Eastern Europe in 2010.