As France’s 2026 Social Security Financing Bill fuels growing unrest among unions representing private physicians, the issue of medical expatriation has returned to the spotlight. While the possibility of doctors leaving the country surfaces regularly, objective data on the phenomenon remain scarce.

In May 2024, a member of the French medical union (Union Française pour une Médecine Libre Syndiquée) claimed in an open letter to Guillaume Garot, a member of the French National Assembly who authored a bill proposing to restrict physicians’ freedom to choose where they practice, that “5000 doctors have left France,” though no sources were cited.

A 2023 survey of more than 800 doctors conducted by Medscape’s French edition found that, if they were to move abroad, most would choose Switzerland (23%) or Canada (13%). The main reasons cited were difficult working conditions, lack of recognition, low pay, and a rigid professional hierarchy.

A Limited but Growing Trend

According to the Foundation for Research on Public Administration and Public Policies, a French liberal think tank that cited data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the number of French-trained doctors practicing abroad has steadily increased in recent years. The OECD estimated that approximately 3600 French physicians were working in other OECD countries in 2015 — a figure likely underestimated at the time.

An updated OECD report indicated that by 2020, the number had risen to 4876 French-trained doctors practicing in other OECD member states. While significant, this figure remains modest compared with the 27,000 foreign-trained physicians working in France and the country’s total of 228,000 French doctors, meaning that only about 2% of France’s physicians practice abroad.

The National Observatory of the Demography of Health Professions (ONDPS) characterized this outflow as “limited compared with what is observed in most other developed nations,” though it noted that increased professional mobility and evolving regulations could drive gradual growth in medical emigration in the coming years.

The country hosting the largest proportion of French-trained doctors is Belgium, where roughly 30% of expatriate French physicians currently practice. The US ranks second, with about a quarter of the total, followed by Canada, Israel, and Italy, each accounting for approximately 14%.

The ONDPS also observed that changes in healthcare regulations, combined with a generational shift toward professional mobility, are gradually contributing to a rise in the emigration of healthcare professionals trained in France.

Motivations for Leaving

A 2024 medical thesis examined the reasons behind this trend, focusing on general practitioners. The study’s author, Alexandra Gallucci, interviewed 17 doctors who had left France. Their motivations varied widely.

Some sought to reconnect with their country of origin or satisfy a desire for travel and new experiences. For two respondents, expatriation represented “a new stage of life, combining professional opportunities with family goals.”

For seven others, the move was primarily about restoring work-life balance. They wanted their children to grow up in a healthier, safer environment that reflected their family values — something they felt was increasingly difficult to find in France.

Across all respondents, the driving force was a desire to find an environment that combined better working conditions with a higher quality of life, allowing for both professional and personal fulfillment.

Professional Pressures

Many of the factors pushing French doctors to leave are directly linked to the country’s professional climate: the complexity of establishing a private practice, administrative overload, and the strain caused by staff shortages and limited healthcare resources.

For six of Gallucci’s respondents, the breaking point came when they realized their physical and mental health were at risk. Five criticized the inaction of public authorities in addressing France’s ongoing healthcare crisis and the lack of institutional support for clinicians.

Nine doctors cited declining financial stability, noting that rising operating costs were not matched by higher consultation fees.

However, Gallucci’s study found that expatriation did not resolve every issue. Many physicians encountered similar problems abroad — staff shortages leading to longer patient wait times, two-tiered healthcare systems, and inequitable access to care — particularly in Anglophone countries such as the UK, Canada, and the US.

This story was translated from Univadis France, part of the Medscape Professional Network.