How Much Does Earn A Doctor In Portugal.

The last meeting of the European Federation of Salaried Physicians (FEMS) held in Napoles (Italy), had as one of the main objectives, to stipulate a generalized salary increase on the eve of 2021. The intentions of this organization are well defined: to achieve European doctors double the average European salary and reach a base salary of 4.000 euros per month. The salaries of doctors in Europe vary significantly depending on the country where they work.

In general terms, it is said that doctors are no longer among the best paid professions in the world, this profession was traditionally associated with excellent pay and high social status, which guaranteed a secure and prosperous future. The reality is that this union has declined along with the economic crises of many European countries, the public sector being the most affected, where more than a third of doctors earn less than 40.000 euros a year. This produces greater shortages of doctors in the public sector and Portugal does not escape this situation.

This can symbolize a great opportunity for exchange and even immigration for Brazilians and health professionals trained here.

According to the OECD report (Organization for cooperation and economic development) based in Paris, issued in 2018; Portugal has a good proportion of doctors (4.8) per 1.000 inhabitants, however there is a poor geographical distribution of these, so it is difficult for people to access the public health service. This leads to a lack of doctors depending on the demand for certain specialties. The president of the Portuguese Medical Association, referred to the lack of specialists in the area of Gynecology and Obstetrics, especially in public hospitals in the country. This led the Portuguese government to take action, implementing strategies to improve this situation; the offer of places in undergraduate medicine courses increased and also began to hire foreign doctors. It has promoted the redistribution of doctors in the national territory, offering them easy establishment in the neediest regions. The majority of foreign doctors come from South America and Portuguese-speaking countries, especially Brazil.


The medical salary can vary from € 1.853 to € 3.089 per month, depending on the level of competence (specialty, experience, and region). Some primary care doctors claim to earn an average of 2.200 euros per month.

According to data taken from a survey conducted by ‘Medscape’ they set an average of 53.000 euros per year. Making mostly a working wage of 50 or more hours, per week. This amount includes expert opinions, talks and other extraordinary income. However, this figure showed significant differences according to the age and sex of the doctor. Women charge 45.000 euros on average, including specialists that are 12.000 euros less than their male partners. Successive forced retirements, although the system has a serious staff deficit in some specialties, have significantly reduced the salary exchange.