Western Balkans lag behind the EU in doctor availability, with wide gaps across the region

All six Western Balkan economies remain significantly below the European Union average in the number of doctors relative to their populations, with North Macedonia and Serbia recording the highest levels in the region, while Kosovo has the lowest, according to 2025 data from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw).

North Macedonia leads the region with 33.8 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants, followed by Serbia with 32.3 and Montenegro with 27.9. Albania has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 inhabitants, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 21.1, while Kosovo ranks last with just 19.

The regional differences are considerable. North Macedonia has almost 78% more doctors per capita than Kosovo, while Serbia has approximately 70% more. Albania, despite ranking above Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, remains well behind the region’s leading economies.

The gap becomes even more pronounced when compared with the European Union average.

According to wiiw, North Macedonia has the highest relative availability of doctors in the Western Balkans, reaching 79% of the EU average, followed by Serbia at 76% and Montenegro at 65%.

Albania stands at just 53% of the EU average, while Bosnia and Herzegovina reaches 49% and Kosovo only 44%.

This means that even the two best-performing economies in the region remain more than 20% below the EU benchmark, while Albania has approximately half the EU average number of doctors relative to its population.

The differences highlight the challenges Western Balkan healthcare systems face in strengthening their medical workforce and ensuring adequate access to healthcare services.

The latest data also indicate that all six Western Balkan economies lost ground relative to the EU average in 2025.

Kosovo recorded the largest deterioration, with a decline of 3.8 percentage points compared with the previous year, followed by North Macedonia, down 2 percentage points.

Montenegro registered a decline of 1.1 percentage points, Serbia of 1 percentage point, Albania of 0.9 percentage points and Bosnia and Herzegovina of 0.1 percentage points.

These changes reflect a deterioration in the countries’ relative position compared with the EU benchmark, rather than necessarily indicating an absolute decline in the number of doctors.

The shortage of medical personnel remains a structural challenge for Western Balkan healthcare systems, particularly as countries face demographic changes, population ageing and the need to improve access to healthcare.

Although the number of doctors per capita is not the only indicator of healthcare quality, the persistent gap with the European Union highlights the need for greater investment in medical education, workforce retention and healthcare capacity.

The data suggest that narrowing the gap with the EU will require sustained efforts across the region, especially in economies where doctor availability remains at approximately half the European average.