Albania

Source: Ministry of High School.
Deviation from definition: Midwives graduates are included.

Austria

Source of data: Statistics Austria.
Coverage:
- excludes specific training (\Sonderausbildungen\");
- excludes further education."

Belarus

Data source: Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus on the basis of statistical handbooks
(1980 009gg.) And primary forms of non-centralized state statistical observations provided medical
schools (1993 to 2011).

Belgium

Source of data: Communaute francaise et Vlaamse Gemeenschap.
Coverage:
- Data refer to graduates for the whole country in health care sciences at superior schools,
students with Belgian nationality and foreign students.
- Graduates with Masters and PhD degrees in nursing are also included.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Source: Federal office of statistic

Bulgaria

Source of data: National Statistical Institute, Exhaustive annual survey
Reference period: 31st December
The specialties for medical doctors, dentists, pharmacists, midwives and nursing are taught in
public higher schools. Ministry of Education, Youth and Science is determining annually plan scheme
(limits for new entrants) for each specialty in public higher schools, which varies at different
years according to national needs. Thus, the number of enrolments and respectively graduates are
varying during the different years. The reported data represents the real number of graduations.
For 1995 ? excluding foreign students.
According to the national legislation in 2007 the term of training of nurses was increased by a
year.
Break in time series: 2007.

Croatia

Data not available.

Cyprus

Data not available.

Czechia

Czech Republic

Source of data: Ministry of education, youth and sports.
Coverage:
- Until 1999: Graduates in auxiliary nurse, dietician, general nurse, paediatric nurse, intensive
care nurse, psychiatric nurse and midwife educational programmes from upper secondary paramedical
schools and tertiary paramedical schools are included. Graduates from universities are not included.

- Since 2000: Graduates in general nurse educational programmes from upper secondary paramedical
schools and tertiary paramedical schools, graduates in the nursing bachelor programme of study
(excluding midwifery field of study) and graduates in the nursing bachelor field of study (included
in other programmes of study) from universities are included.
- Foreign graduates are included.
- In 2000, there were only 1602 nursing graduates, due to a preceding change in mandatory
(basic/elementary) education from 8 to 9 years. As a result, there was only small number of
graduates from basic school in 1996 followed by small number of graduates from the secondary/high
schools (paramedical schools) in 2000.
- New legislation concerning non-medical health professions came into force in 2004 (Act no. 96/2004
Coll.) and influenced the data on graduates with a 2-4 year time delay. Medical assistants (first
graduated in 2007 and classified under the code 3256 - Medical assistants in the new International
Standard Classification of Occupations - ISCO-08), who are not included in the data on nursing
graduates, have partly replaced nursing graduates. There were 592 medical assistant graduates
reported in 2007, 3149 in 2008 and 2974 in 2009.

Denmark

Source of data: National Board of Health, Register of Authorised Health Personnel.
Coverage: The number of new nurses receiving an authorisation.

Estonia

Source of data:
- State Statistical Office, annual reporting.
- Ministry of Education and Research.
Reference period: Given year.
Break in time series: 1999.
- In 1999 the length of time of the educational programme of nursing specialists was extended.

Finland

Source of data: VALVIRA; National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health. Registrar on
Qualified Health Care Personnel, number of persons who have received their qualification in the
calendar year.
Reference period: Calendar year.

France

Source of data: Ministere de la Sante et des Sports - Direction de la Recherche, des Etudes, de
l'Evaluation et des Statistiques (DREES). Sous-Direction de l'Observation de la Sante et de
l'Assurance maladie, Bureau des Professions de sante. Enquete ?Ecoles de formation aux professions
de la sante?.
For further information: http://www.sante-sports.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/seriestat139.pdf.
Coverage:
- Data come from statistics compiled from a survey carried out in training institutions for health
professionals which estimates the number of degrees valid at the national level, in metropolitan
France and overseas departments and territories.
- Nurses include state-licensed nurses (?infirmiers diplomes d?Etat?, IDE) and psychiatric nurses
(ISP). In 1992, a law ended the separate courses for psychiatric nurses who have to do a 3-month
internship to obtain the common single degree (?diplome unique?, IDE). In 1994, a decree granted a
nursing degree (DEI) without any conditions to all psychiatric nurses (ISP) requesting it.

Georgia

Source of data: Ministry of Labour Health and Social Affairs
of Georgia and include both, public and private sectors.
Reference period: 31 December.
Coverage: The provided data cover all regions except separatist regions, Abkhazia and South Osetia.
Data for those two regions are unavailable.

Germany

Germany

Source of data: Federal Statistical Office, Statistics on Health schools, Statistics on vocational
training; Statistisches Bundesamt, Fachserie 11, Reihe 2, table 4_8_1 & SdG_7;
http://www.destatis.de.
Coverage:
- Passed examinations in nursing care.
- Professional nurses with a 3-year education and associate professional nurses with a 1-year
education who passed their examinations are included.
- Midwives and nurses for the elderly with a 3-year education coded with 3460 ISCO-88COM are
excluded.
- Data do not include graduates for the regional state of Hesse.
- Data are available from 1996 onwards.

Greece

Data not available.

Hungary

Source of data: Hungarian Central Statistical Office on the basis of the data collection of the
Ministry of National Resources.
Coverage:
- From 1990, data are provided for graduates in secondary vocational school and professional nursing
education, in addition to college level graduates in health care.
- Data on the professions of optometrists, dental technicians, pharmacy assistants, orthopaedic
mechanics, medicinal gymnastics, medicinal massage, and infant and child attendants are not
included.

Iceland

Source of data: Statistics Iceland, Register of graduations.
Reference period: The calendar year.
Coverage: Students who have obtained a recognised qualification in nursing with education at the
university level (professional nurses) and recognised qualification as associate nurse/practical
nurse with education at the upper- secondary level (non-university).

Ireland

Source of data:
- 1999 onwards: Higher Education Authority.
- Up to 1998: An Bord Altranais (Nursing Board).
Reference period: Calendar year.
Coverage: Universities, Institutes of Technology and Designated Institutions.

Israel

Israel

Source of data: The data are based on the Nurses License Registry maintained by the Nursing Division
and the Health Information Division in the Ministry of Health, for which the demographic information
is periodically updated from the Population Registry at the Ministry of Interior.
Coverage: Data are for new licensed nurses who graduated in Israel. The policy of the Ministry of
Health changed to reduce the number of associate professional nurses by not training new ones and
re-training old ones as registered nurses.
Note: The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant
Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the
Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of
international law.

Italy

Source of data: Ministry of Education; ?Survey on Graduates and Exams? carried out yearly by the
Ministry by collecting data from Italian Universities (http://www.miur.it).
Reference period: Annual.
Break in time series:
- From 2002: Nurses graduated. Data from 2002 onwards refer to the new education system of nurses
(to become a nurse it is necessary to get at least a 3-year university degree).
- 1997-2001: Nurses with university diploma. Data refer to the old education system of nurses (to
become a nurse it was necessary to get a diploma at university level).

Kazakhstan

Data before 2007 show number of all mid medical personnel (medical assistants, midwives, nurses,
health assistants, lab, x-ray and dental technicians) graduated in given year; from 2007 data
include only number of graduated nurses.

Latvia

Source of data: Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) since 2008.
Coverage: The annual surveys collected and compiled by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) are as
follows:
on higher education institutions and colleges.
Graduates from college, bachelor and master programmes are included into the provided data (hence
probability of double counting). Distinction between professional and associate nurses not possible
in Latvia.
Break in series:
- 2008: Change in data source
- 2010, 2011: The significant increase in nursing graduates is due to the fact that nurses have
taken the opportunity to raise professional qualifications by completing Bachelor?s degree in
Nursing programme. This programme was financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and was free for
the students.
Note: source of data prior to 2008 not clear.

Lithuania

Source of data: Statistics Lithuania, data of entire annual survey of education institutions. Report
?Health Statistics of Lithuania?, available from http://sic.hi.lt/html/en/hsl.htm.

Luxembourg

Source of data: Lycee technique de certaines professions de sante.
Coverage: Nurses with basic care only.

Malta

Source of data: University of Malta.
70% increase in number of nursing graduates in 2011 is a result of an increase in the intake of
students for the nursing programme in the 2007 academic year.
2011 data was edited to include Mental Health Nursing graduates
An increase in 2012 nursing graduates is a result of 2 cohorts graduating within the same year,
since the nursing course was reduced from a 4 year course to a 3 year course.

Montenegro

Source of data: The source for all data submitted is the Institute of Public Health. Some additional
information can be found in Health Statistical Yearbooks available at http://www.ijzcg.me/
Reference period: December 31st.
Coverage: Only hospitals from the public sector are included.
Deviation from the definition: Included all nursing profiles (secondary school, high nursing school,
high school of applied physiotherapy).

Netherlands

Source of data: Statistics Netherlands, Statistics of education.
Coverage: The number includes nursing graduates in higher education (in Dutch: universiteit en HBO)
and nursing graduates in senior vocational secondary education (in Dutch: MBO). The number of
nursing graduates in higher education (in this case vocational colleges) is based on the ?integrated
higher education project?. In this project, Statistics Netherlands is working together with the
Information Management Group (IBG), Higher Professional Education Council (HBO-Raad), Association of
Dutch Universities (VSNU) and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). The number of
nursing graduates in senior vocational secondary education is based on data from the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Science (OCW).

North Macedonia

Source of data: State Statistical Office (SSO), Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Macedonia
Reference period: 31st December
Note: significant increases in time series between 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 are due to commencing of
new generations of graduated (university level) nurses from newly opened nursing programs and an
introduction of a legal obligation requiring all employed nurses to complete their university
education, thus increasing the number of students enrolling and graduating.

Norway

Source of data: Statistics Norway.
- Statistics Norway collects student data from the administrative systems of the various tertiary
institutions. The administrative systems in tertiary institutions create data files in the format
specified by Statistics Norway. Information on completed doctoral degrees is collected from NIFU
(http://www.nifustep.no/English/Pages/default.aspx).
- Tertiary graduation statistics include all individuals who have completed a degree of 2 years or
longer from an educational institution classified by the Standard Industrial Classification as a
tertiary institution. Registration of completed educational activities occurs during the period 1
October in year x, 30 September in year x+1.
- See http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/04/02/40/eksuvh_en/ and then 'About the statistics'.
Coverage: Complete coverage as statistics are based on enumeration of graduates in tertiary
education. Sampling errors and non-response errors do not exist.
Break in time series: Individually based data on completed education have been published annually
since they were first collected in 1973/74 (academic year). Most variables are comparable, but some
have changed. The revised Norwegian Standard Classification of Education
(http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/04/90/nos_c751_en/) recoded education courses to enable
comparison of newer and older data (also including a recoding to ISCED-97). While education courses
are reasonably comparable over time, other variables are not (e.g. coding of institution types).

Poland

Source of data:
- Until 1990: publication of Ministry of National Education, ?Higher education, basic data?.
- From 1990: Central Statistical Office, reports S-10.
Coverage: Includes the number of graduates with first university level and master?s degree from
nursing programme
Break in time series: 1990 due to change of data source.
Note: The education of nurses is now in a process of transformation, which means that traditional
nursing schools were closed down and a new licence and master degree-based system is being
established. This will allow the number of personnel with higher education to increase in these two
occupational groups.
Since 2003, Medical Universities have provided two types of studies for nurses: a 3-year licensing
program and complementary studies for those who do not have the license. After graduating from these
studies there is a possibility of a 2-year master?s degree.
There is a concern about double counting of graduates in cases where a person first completes a
bachelor?s degree and then a master?s degree. Each year universities give information about the
number of graduates without identifying the people who continue their education in the second
degree. As a result, these graduates are registered again two years later upon completion of their
second degree.

The last call for bridging studies had to be for the academic year 2010/11, although this was
changed, between 2008 and 2010 greatly increased the number of nursing students: in 2008 there were
23 335, in 2009 - 25 578, in 2010 - 29 968 (as of 30.XI). Therefore, the number of nursing graduates
is increased by 79% in year 2011.

Portugal

Source of data:
- Since 2011: Directorate General of Statistics of Education and Science, Ministry of Education and
Science.
- Between 2006 and 2010: Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.
- Up to 2005: Ministry of Education.
Coverage: Data represent the total number of graduates.
Break in time series: Break in 2002 due to change in Nursing Education in the end of the 1990's.

Republic of Moldova

Source of data: Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova, National Centre for Health
Management, Annual statistical report N17 ?On staff and cadres of health institutions?.
http://cnms.md/areas/statistics/anyar/.
Reference period: Data as of December 31.
Coverage: Data exclude Transnistria.
Deviation from the definition: Foreign health personnel are not included.

Romania

Source of data: National Institute of Statistics,
Activity of Education Units (Statistical data on tertiary education) ? annual survey performed by
NIS.
Reference period: academic year.
Break in the series: 1996 (Since 1996 including private sector).

Serbia

Data are not available.

Slovakia

Source of data: National Health Information Center (submitted data are from the Institute of
Information and Prognosis of Education, http://www.uips.sk).
Coverage:
- For the year 2005, the data for ?Nursing graduates? were collected using the number of nursing
graduates with a bachelor?s degree and the number of nursing graduates in higher specialised study,
such as a diploma in nursing (i.e. post general certificate of education (GCE) study with
qualification). Data were collected according to the OECD definition and according to the Slovak Act
No.742/2004 on qualification for health care professions.
- There is a break in series because of changes within Slovak health education and training system.
No nurse could graduate at paramedical schools (i.e. at secondary health care schools) in 2005.
Students of paramedical schools could graduate as medical assistants in 2005. 1,103 medical
assistants graduated in 2005.

Slovenia

Source of data: The National Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia, Health
Statistics Yearbook.
Reference period: 31st December.

Spain

Source of data: National Statistics Institute (INE). University Education Statistic.
http://www.ine.es/jaxi/menu.do?type=pcaxis&path=%2Ft13%2Fp405&file=inebase&L=0.
Deviation from the definition: Data include midwife graduates.

Sweden

Data not available.

Switzerland

Source of data:
From 2007 onwards: FSO Federal Statistical Office, Neuchatel; graduation statistics; yearly census.
Up to 2006: Swiss Red Cross, Bern.
Coverage: Since 2007, data cover professional and associate professional nursing graduates. Before
2007, the data did not include all ?associate nurses? graduates.

Tajikistan

The drop in 2003 was caused by re-organization of 2 nursing schools into colleges for nurses and
extension of education time, i.e. no graduates from these colleges in 2003.

Türkiye

Source of data: General Directorate for Health Services, Ministry of Health and ESPC Higher
Education Statistics.
Coverage:
- Data refer to total number of nursing graduates of vocational high schools of health and
universities.
- Nursing departments in vocational health high schools accepted an increasing number of nursing
students until the mid-1990s in response to domestic needs. In the late 1990s, vocational health
high schools started not to enroll any students in nursing section. However, in the early 2000s, a
growing need for nurses came to the agenda again, and these vocational schools begun accepting more
nursing students again, explaining the rise in the number of graduates since 2004. In 2005, the
vocational health schools again started not to enroll any new students. However, in 2007, the
vocational health schools accepted huge numbers of nursing students and gave huge number of
graduates in 2010 and 2011.

Turkmenistan

Source of data: Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan.
Note: division on Professional nurses and Associate professional nurses does not exist in
Turkmenistan.

Ukraine

Source: State Statistic Department.
Deviation from the definition: Persons who completed full course of nursing training and with
certificate to practice in medicine, nursing and medical prevention. Graduates with speciality in
midwifery or pharmacology are excluded.

United Kingdom

Source of data: Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Coverage: Data from 2008 are for financial years, e.g. year 2009 data cover the period 1st April
2009 to 31st March 2010.
Estimation method: The actual number of nursing graduates is not available from 2008. Figures from
2008 are estimated based on the number of nurses newly registered with the Nursing and Midwifery
Council which is an essential requirement for working as a nurse or midwife in the United Kingdom.