Hospital employment in Portugal

Portugal: Hospital employment was 14.39 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2023. β–² Rising

Latest (2023)
14.39 Per 1 000 inhabitants
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
17th
of 31 countries
All-time high
14.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 2021
All-time low
6.93 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 1985
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Hospital employment in Portugal, 1985–2023

0510151985200420231985: 6.9 Per 1 000 inhabitants1986: 7 Per 1 000 inhabitants1987: 7.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants1988: 7.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants1989: 7.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants1990: 8 Per 1 000 inhabitants1991: 8.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants1992: 8.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants1993: 8.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants1994: 8.9 Per 1 000 inhabitants1995: 9 Per 1 000 inhabitants1996: 9.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants1997: 10.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants1998: 10.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants1999: 10.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants2000: 10.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2001: 10.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants2002: 10.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants2003: 11 Per 1 000 inhabitants2004: 11 Per 1 000 inhabitants2005: 11.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants2006: 11.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants2007: 11.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants2008: 11.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants2009: 11.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2010: 12.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants2011: 11.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants2012: 11.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants2013: 11.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants2014: 11.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants2015: 11.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants2016: 12.2 Per 1 000 inhabitants2017: 12.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants2018: 13.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants2019: 13.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2020: 14.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants2021: 14.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants2022: 14.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants2023: 14.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Per 1 000 inhabitants.

Analysis

The most recent figure for hospital employment in Portugal is 14.39 Per 1 000 inhabitants, measured in 2023.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 25.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, hospital employment in Portugal peaked at 14.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2021 and was at its lowest, 6.93 Per 1 000 inhabitants, in 1985.

Portugal ranks 17th of 31 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 39 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 7.21 Per 1 000 inhabitants 6.93 Per 1 000 inhabitants 7.67 Per 1 000 inhabitants 5
1990s 9.12 Per 1 000 inhabitants 7.99 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10.41 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
2000s 11.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10.61 Per 1 000 inhabitants 11.67 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
2010s 12.14 Per 1 000 inhabitants 11.34 Per 1 000 inhabitants 13.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
2020s 14.37 Per 1 000 inhabitants 14.33 Per 1 000 inhabitants 14.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants 4

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 14 Ireland 16.15 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  2. 15 Finland 15.86 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  3. 16 Spain 14.52 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  4. 18 Austria 14.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  5. 19 Israel 12.37 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  6. 20 Costa Rica 12.26 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare

See the full ranking of 40 places β†’

More work & labour data for Portugal

All data for Portugal β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is hospital employment in Portugal?
Hospital employment in Portugal was 14.39 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest hospital employment recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 14.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2021.
What is the lowest hospital employment recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 6.93 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 1985.
How does Portugal rank for hospital employment?
Portugal ranks 17th out of 31 countries with data for 2023.
Is hospital employment rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Portugal data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Hospital employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Hospital employment in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/hospital-employment-2/portugal/

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About this data

Indicator
Hospital employment
Unit
Per 1 000 inhabitants
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
40 places, 907 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides data on total hospital employment (ie. persons employed in general and specialty hospitals) by category: Physicians Professional nurses and midwives Associate professional nurses Healthcare assistants Other health service providers Other staff Data are presented by number of persons employed (head counts), and number of full-time equivalent (FTE) persons. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.