The level of remuneration of doctors is an important factor in the attractiveness of the medical profession, and how this differs across various medical specialties can be a criterion in deciding whether to pursue a career in general practice or in another speciality. Differences in remuneration levels of doctors (both GPs and specialists) across countries can also act as a “push” or “pull” factor when it comes to physician migration (OECD, 2025[1]). In many countries, governments can determine or influence the level and structure of remuneration of GPs and specialists by regulating their fees or by setting their salaries when doctors are employed in the public sector. A 2022 survey covering 10 OECD countries found that, in all countries, fewer than half of GPs were satisfied with their income (Commonwealth Fund, 2023[2]).
In all OECD countries, the remuneration of GPs is substantially higher than the average wage of all workers in the country, although it is lower than the remuneration of most specialists (see section on “Remuneration of specialists”). In 2023, salaried specialists in most countries earned between 1.5 and 2.5 times more than the average wage, while self-employed GPs in most cases earned between two and four times more (Figure 8.9; left panel). In countries where GPs can work as both self-employed and salaried doctors (and where remuneration data are available for both types of employment), the remuneration of self-employed GPs is generally higher.
The remuneration of GPs can also be compared based on a common currency (US dollars) adjusted for differences in purchasing power (Figure 8.9; right panel). In 2023, earnings of salaried GPs were at least three times greater in the Netherlands and Iceland than earnings of those working in Colombia and Mexico, while earnings of self-employed GPs in Germany, Switzerland and Austria were nearly or more than two times higher than earnings of those working in Israel, Australia and Denmark.
In many countries, the remuneration of GPs and specialists in real terms (adjusted for inflation) has increased over the past decade, most markedly in Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania, and also to a lesser extent in Poland and Estonia, catching up at least partly to remuneration levels of GPs and specialists in Western Europe. However, in some countries including Portugal, Canada and the Netherlands, the remuneration of both GPs and specialists fell in real terms between 2013 and 2023. Growth rates in many countries also differed between GPs and specialists (Figure 8.10). In some countries including Austria, Czechia and Spain, the remuneration of GPs has risen faster than that of specialists, thereby narrowing the income gap. By contrast, in Chile and Colombia, earnings of specialists have increased faster since 2013, thereby increasing the remuneration gap with GPs.
