Data by the Icelandic Medical Association shows that there are currently 1,100 physicians practicing in the country. More than half of them are over 50 years old.
Since 2009, the total number of practicing physicians has decreased by 110 as the number of retirees grew and many doctors have emigrated. On a yearly average, 66 physicians moved abroad while only 28 came back, according to visir.is.
While the number of physicians decreases, Iceland’s population grows, having reached 325,000 in 2014, with members of the oldest age groups increasing the most proportionally.
This means that there is now one physician for every 295 persons, but based on an estimate by the Iceland Medical Association, the ratio will change to 390 persons per doctor in ten year’s time, or 95 more than today.
