Number of Nurses Emigrating Abroad from İspanya Increased by 20 Percent

The trend of nurses, who are the backbone of the healthcare system in İspanya, emigrating abroad continues to reach worrying proportions. The 2025 data announced by the İspanya Hemşireler Genel Konseyi clearly reveals that the situation is progressively worsening. Last year, a significant 20 percent increase was recorded in the number of nurses requesting a "buena conducta", or certificate of good conduct, to work abroad. This figure shows that the number of applications, which was 1.134 in 2024, reached 1.356 in 2025. Council officials emphasize that the İspanya Ulusal Sağlık Sistemi is at a critical juncture and that urgent solutions must be sought.

Florentino Pérez Raya, President of the İspanya Hemşireler Genel Konseyi, states that they have been making various warnings for years to stop this brain drain, but no concrete steps have been taken. Noting that İspanyol universities graduate thousands of nurses every year with an excellent, world-class education, Raya states that losing these talents abroad is an unacceptable situation. Among the main reasons for these professionals leaving the country are poor working conditions, insecure temporary contracts, and intense workloads. Authorities are concerned that the loss of qualified healthcare personnel will further deepen if these structural problems in the current system are not resolved.

The extremely good international reputation of İspanyol nurses also stands out as a significant factor accelerating the migration process. In cross-border labor mobility, İspanyol nurses are in high demand due to their rich theoretical knowledge and strong clinical practice. Many developed countries, especially Norveç, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, İsviçre, and İrlanda, are attracting İspanyol nurses to their countries by offering them much better salaries, permanent employment guarantees, and superior living conditions. This situation causes İspanya's investments in healthcare and its educated workforce to serve other economies.

Looking at the distribution of nurses' requests to go abroad based on İspanya's autonomous communities, it is seen that Katalonya is the undisputed leader in this brain drain with 271 requests. Katalonya is followed by Madrid with 225 applications and Valensia Topluluğu with 217 applications. On the list, Andalucía with 149, Kanarya Adaları with 108, and Bask Ülkesi with 73 applications stand out as other prominent regions. The regions with the lowest number of applications are autonomous cities such as La Rioja, Cantabria, Extremadura, along with Ceuta and Melilla.

The Council President argues that to solve the problem in the short and medium term, both the central government and local health authorities must establish a joint strategy. Putting an end to job insecurity in the sector and offering permanent employment contracts to nurses are among the first steps that need to be taken. Furthermore, the full legal recognition of professional titles and specialties is considered a critical requirement to improve the current system. Officials emphasize that as long as İspanya does not provide healthcare workers with the value and financial compensation they deserve, it will continue to fall behind in international competition and lose its quality personnel.