Indian Medical Workforce Integral to Global Healthcare, Finds OECD

India has emerged as the largest source of migrant doctors and the second-largest source of migrant nurses across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, according to the OECD International Migration Outlook 2025.

Between 2000–01 to 2020–21, Indian-born doctors rose by 76% and nurses by 435% in OECD nations, making migrants a key part of health systems where foreign-born staff form a major share of the workforce.

The UK, US, Canada, and Australia remain the leading destinations for Indian-trained health professionals, with the UK particularly dependent on Indian doctors and nurses to sustain its healthcare services.

Overall, India-trained doctors constitute 12% of all foreign-trained doctors (75,000 out of 6,06,000) and India-trained nurses represent 17% (1,22,000 out of 7,33,000) across OECD member nations.

The OECD report stated, India’s strong medical education system and English proficiency drive its global health presence, but this also fuels a “brain drain,” with the WHO listing India among nations facing critical healthcare worker shortages.

Despite supportive migration policies, the OECD report notes that slow and unclear recognition of qualifications often delays labour-market integration, leaving many skilled migrant health workers in lower-level roles despite their expertise.