Majority of health workers in Greece are women

Approximately 61% of health workers in Greece are women just below the EU average which sits at 78% for women and 22% for men, with Estonia and Latvia recording the highest 90% according to the latest data published by EU statistical agency Eurostat.

For the third quarter of 2020, the vast majority of the health workers in the EU were women (78%).

Just over 14 million people aged 15 and over were employed in health occupations in the EU, representing over 7% of employed people and almost 4% of people aged 15 and over.

These health jobs include medical doctors (1.8 million), nurses, midwives and their associates (4.4 million, out of which 2.7 million are associates), personal care workers (3.9 million), other health professionals and associates (4.1 million). Over the past year, these workers were at the forefront of the COVID-19 response.

In a majority (16 of 26) of the EU Member States with available data, the largest share of health workers were aged 35-49, with the highest share reported in Romania (47%), followed by Hungary and Czechia (both 43%).

In 9 EU Member States, people aged over 50 accounted for the largest share of health workers, whilst in only one EU Member State did health workers aged 15-34 represent the largest share: Luxembourg (43%).

For women in the EU, health occupations accounted for 12% of their total employment in Q3 2020, however this share varied across countries as well as regions.

*More on GCT: Greece’s Health Minister chokes up while thanking frontline workers